Day 89: 25.7 miles/1:26
“Though your past decisions may at times haunt you, it is your current choices that will define your future.”
We have all made mistakes. In some cases these decisions have had a significant impact on our lives and may even cause us pain or discomfort today. While it does little or no good to dwell on these moments in our lives, there are times where something happens to remind us of those events or even gets in our way. While we cannot change the fact that these things have occurred or maybe even prevent the impact of those decisions from impacting our lives today, there is nothing more important than the choices we make today; for it is those choices that define our future.
What is in the past is in the past. You cannot take an eraser to it. You cannot prevent it from being part of your story. And, you cannot change what happened. However, your past does not prevent you from influencing the outcomes for your life starting today. Today is where your future starts. The choices you make today will determine the influence and control your past has on your life. When you consciously make good choices that reflect your commitment to your mission and your goals, the ability for your past to impede you are diminished. Conversely, if you continue to make bad decisions, your ability to make a break from the past becomes difficult. Great choices today, lend credibility to your resolve to change your life.
Brandon recently had an experience where some of his past legal issues have impeded his ability to get work. He had worked hard to create an opportunity for himself until they did a background check and decided they were not comfortable hiring him. It was an understandable setback. And, it is something that he had very little control over. What he has done in the past cannot be changed, altered, or simply wiped out. Unfortunately, he may deal with this a few times in his life. Faced with this reality, he really has two choices – make certain those types of choices stay in the rear view mirror and get smaller over time or, continue to make bad decisions that demonstrate he has not learned anything yet.
Commitment to change is easily reflected in the decisions and choices we make. One can only demonstrate resolve to changing their lives by making certain that the mistakes of the past are not repeated in the future. Internalizing, learning from and not revisiting bad choices or mistakes are how we define the new course for our lives. We cannot change or take an eraser to the decisions of the past; but, we can begin to define our future by learning from them and making certain our current choices aren’t repeats of old ones.
