How Looking Back Can Actually Help You Move Forward

"Remember how far you've come, not how far you have to go.

You are not where you want to be,but neither are you where you used to be."

~Rick Warren

We’re always talking about how we should live in the now and “be present.”

We scold ourselves for looking back at the past, ‘stop living in the past’ we say to ourselves and others.

We shouldn’t get too caught up in events that have already happened.

Looking at our day to day it doesn’t look like much is changing, which is why many people feel discouraged.

It looks like we’re crawling along. 

And that can be discouraging. It’s the reason why a lot of people give up, quit, or lose faith.
It just looks like nothing is happening.

We’re often so focused on living in the present, or running in pursuit of our future that we forget to be mindful, and self-reflect on where we’ve been and how far we’ve come. 

We can get so caught up looking at where we should be, where we aren’t, and where others are in comparison that we lose sight of where we’ve been and where we’ve come from.

In any given moment it may look like you haven’t made any progress but when you trace back your steps you see a completely different story.

What was once discouraging can give you a bout of encouragement.

You may not be where you want to be (yet), but you’re also not still at the starting line either.

What if we look at the past and use self-reflection to appreciate it? 

How about we acknowledging and celebrating our own journeys? 

Our own resilience? 

How about we look at the places we’ve been, the relationships we’ve formed, the things we’ve achieved, not with regret or the longing of “if only” or “what ifs”, but...

“Wow, I did that"!

"That’s where I used to be"!

"This is how I used to be"!

That’s pretty cool.l - right?

Self-Reflection is all in your perception  

Perception is the act or faculty of perceiving, or apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.  

It can also be defined as our recognition and interpretation of information and  how we respond to it.

It's as a process where we take in information from our environment and use that information in order to interact with our environment.

Perception allows us to take the sensory information in and make it into something meaningful.

Your perception is the way you think about or understand someone or something.

It’s a position, an attitude, or interpretation of events. Your perception in life is determined by your past experiences, values, beliefs, and overall psychological makeup. 

In short, your perception is your reality. It is the way you see the world. It is your life.

However, you can change your perception. Just like looking at a photo from another angle, your point of view on life can be modified as well. And, if you change your perception, you change your reality, and in turn, you change life.

Remind yourself  how far you’ve come

Self-reflection is about Looking Back and Examining Your Past.

Sometimes, you might be hard on yourself and get discouraged in life. Reflection is important here – it switches the mindset and flips the focus back to how far you’ve come rather than how far you have to go.

Seeing the progress you’ve made and remembering the things you’ve done can serve as the positive motivational element you need to stay motivated and positive.

Even if there’s still a long, rough road ahead, looking back on your progress can help you gain the encouragement and motivation you need to get to the finish.

You can start by looking at the goal or resolution you’re currently pursuing to find examples of times you’ve moved forward along this path. For example, if you’ve hit a plateau in your weight loss, look back on the ways you’ve been successful on your journey so far. Reminding yourself of these weight loss accomplishments can give you the resolve to tackle the obstacle you’re up against right now.

If you’re finding it difficult just starting out and you don’t have successes to pull from with regard to your newest goal, you’ll need to take a different approach. This one involves finding other areas in your life in which you’ve had success and have overcome difficulties. While that time may not be the same as this current challenge, this kind of self-examination lets you know that you have done hard things before. It gives you the confidence to know you can do them again.

Write It Down

Once you’ve started thinking of the times in which you’ve been successful in the past, write them down as evidence you can return to during tough times. Self-reflection is great for recording your past triumphs related to your current goals.

Also, choose other accomplishments of which you’re especially proud of. 

Post photos of certificates and awards or copies of positive employment reviews and congratulatory notes from colleagues where you can see them for encouragement. Or perhaps you’d rather keep a special file of these that you review often for encouragement. These can be a great addition to your file of visual reminders.

Don’t stop there. If you want to keep the motivation going and continue to see the worth in your current pursuits, it’s a good idea to keep a weekly self-reflection record of small things you do well. Include tasks you accomplish for work, small triumphs in your personal life, or projects you’ve taken care of around the house. Doing so can be a powerful confidence booster for when you’re not feeling that great about your potential. Make a point to look back at these for encouragement.

I hope you have an idea of how you can use past accomplishments to keep you motivated towards your goal or resolution. I’ve always found this to be a really empowering way to get back on track.

Keep an Open Mind  -  Once you are aware, you need to mentally view all your options. Ask yourself, how can I view this issue differently?

Reflection on life helps keep your mind open and can even help you release judgment .  Looking back on memories of closed mindedness can certainly help you move forward with an open one.

Be open to suggestions - You’re much more creative than you think.

Redefine - Try to find a new definition that’s empowering. The difference in words drastically affects perception.

Empowering Self-Talk - Once you have outlined some empowering perspectives and perceptions, engage in self-talk everyday to change your beliefs and even modify your values.

It has to be something relevant and empowering to you, and you will want to repeat this multiple times throughout the day to remind yourself. Feel it. Believe it. Become energized with it. Over time this practice will modify your innate beliefs.

Be Mindful.           Be Empathetic.           Empower Yourself.

Your perceptions can easily get you into trouble or cause stress that isn’t needed.

It can make you see and interpret problems that aren’t even there.

In fact, you may just find that this way of thinking will help you find ways to actually eliminate the problem and the stress.

It could give you a new strategy and new motivation.

Every moment of your past has served as a single brick to build the life you live today.  It’s important to honor your past as part of your present life and who you are becoming.

Looking back on the past allows you to study the nature of you and helps you recognize why you do what we do.

Try To reflect on good, loving memories - Looking back on the positive memories of life have multiple benefits.

Understanding the person you are today involves recalling memories. It’s important to focus on the good, loving memories that make you feel warm and fuzzy as opposed to the negative ones.

A memory that will warm your heart and help pick you up out of a slump.  

You have your own unique life experience, but just like everyone else, it has it’s bright spots.  Focus on them and allow them to expand in your life

Discover a negative life cycle - When you reflect on the past, you’ll stir up a lot of positive, but there’s also negative there too. While you don’t want you to get stuck in a past traumatic events, you can actually use the darkness to create a brighter light.  

Look for past negative cycles or patterns.

Ask yourself why they happened and if there is a lesson you can take from your struggle.

When it’s brought to your attention you can find a solution to move forward even stronger.

In fact, this is a secret of many successful people.

Make a Plan

Finally, you’ll want to use the evidence you collect as a resource to make a plan to attack your current struggle.

You can look back and review the goals you’ve accomplished already on the road to to your goals and desires.

Write down the tangible steps you took to get there and then take it farther by making a list of the types of personal strengths you used to make those goals a reality.

Brainstorm ways you can use those qualities to motivate you as you move forward.

Don’t be afraid to delve deep within and to be honest about what you find. Use those discoveries to your advantage to move push past your roadblock.

Celebrate success

• Congratulate yourself on your year’s achievements.

• Give yourself permission to relax at year-end and enjoy some down-time with family and friends, as well as well-deserved and essential “me-time”.

As the year draws to a close, take some time to look back, acknowledge all the milestones and steps you have taken this past year.

Notice how you've changed and grown.

Appreciate all that you've learned.

Looking back is an important way of seeing how much we are progressing, evolving,  changing and living, creating our path in life.

It's, is our key to feeling empowered and encouraged as we step into our new year.

Take a walk through Memory Lane of your past year, replenish your batteries so that when you return in the New Year, you’ll not only feel revitalized, but also empowered to take on the opportunities that will come your way in 2020.

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