Windshield or Rear View Mirror

Windshield or Rear View Mirror?

Several years ago, I was talking with a friend, berating myself over some poor decisions I had made in the past and how much they were affecting me now. He was quiet for a moment, then took out a pen and began drawing on a scratch sheet of paper. He drew a large windshield with a small rearview mirror. All he did was slide it over for me to see. Suddenly, the light bulb went off. Why was I spending so much of my time looking in the rearview mirror when it’s only a small part of my view? If I drove down the street always looking behind me, I wouldn’t get very far—and I certainly wouldn’t get there safely.

Our lives move in the direction we focus. So, what are you focusing on? Yes, we all stumble. If I sat around thinking about everything I’ve done wrong, I’d be too paralyzed to move. I can already hear the thoughts in my head… Why risk again? You’re just going to mess it up. Who do you think you are? You’re not qualified… On and on, those thoughts, like poisoned arrows, try to invade my mind. Instead of giving those voices space, I choose to look forward.

Yes, I’ve made mistakes. Yes, they’ve cost me greatly. But I’ve learned from them. I am not the same person I was ten years ago when I made those choices. I won’t repeat those errors. Lesson learned. Now, it’s time to move forward. I refuse to let the mistakes of the past, no matter how costly, stop me from living my future.

Look at life through your windshield, not your rear view mirror.