In the past I over-analyzed everything that happened to me and attempted to package the past into a small, tidy box. I allowed an off-day, or an amazing outcome, to affect my future. My today would be ruined because in my mind my yesterday wasn’t good enough. Or my today would never live up to the successes of my yesterday. It has taken me a long time, but I always try to forget yesterday.
What Forgetting Yesterday Means
We’ve all been there. We get a new job, get accepted into college or a higher-education program, we have our blog published on a website. It’s an amazing feeling! But it’s fleeting. Focusing on an accomplishment won’t get us to our next goal. We have to give ourselves a pat on the back and move forward. For what we did yesterday doesn’t matter if we’re not propelling forward today.
The same is true when we experience unfortunate events. We’ve all been there too. We’ve experienced a family member dying, we’ve failed at a business or school, we’ve tried hard at something only to come up short. Yes, we need to take time to heal the wounds, but again, we have to move forward. Dwelling on the past won’t help accomplish dreams for the future. It will only stagnate us from becoming the person we dream of becoming.
Like Hands on a Clock
If hands on a clock were to stop to congratulate itself for keeping time, or stop to analyze the rough patch it had in the past, it would be off. Not only would the clock be off when it stopped to think, it’d be off going forward. The clock wouldn’t be able to make up the time it spent stopped.
I imagine my life in the same vein. I make bad decisions. I experience heartbreak. I have crazy euphoric highs. But if I stop to analyze them, then I am throwing myself off. As long as I teach myself to forget yesterday and focus on moving forward, I will be holding my future self accountable. Forgetting yesterday is about focusing on the next step that’ll move me forward instead of transfixing my mind on something I can’t change.