17

Jul

Learning From the Past to Shape Your Future

Without being in possession of a time machine, we cannot predict the future. It is unlikely that  we have the knowledge to build a time machine either and there are currently no courses or manuals telling  how to. However imagine yourself when you were younger. Consider that younger, probably smaller version of yourself, and what they would say if they saw where you are now and all the bits in between. Would they be happy with the result or would they look at you now and think ‘I really need to make some different choices’. Unfortunately you cannot turn back time and erase any mistakes you have made. Your life is what it is now and there is nothing you can do about it. Wrong!

So you cannot see into the future from where you are now. You cannot turn back time. There is one thing you can do however to ensure a better present and a brighter future. Look into the past, consider the things you have done, and strive to have a better way of thinking.

Consider the following negative traits you may have picked up on the road to where you are now. How many of them apply to you and within the choices you have made on life’s journey? Lazy, stubborn, defensive, arrogant, boastful, careless, compulsive, gullible, impatient, dishonest, jealous, materialistic, overemotional, pessimistic, selfish, tactless, vain… and the list goes on.

Often the behaviour we have exhibited in the past remains consistent in our future. As a freelance writer, this can have negative effects on your work now and the future. You don’t need a time machine to predict your future behaviour. It is already a part of you.

For example, did you coast along through school without a lot of effort in your work? Is that the same way you commit to your writing now?

Did you become jealous when somebody got better grades than you? Are you jealous of other, ‘more successful’ writers now?

Did you put little effort into revision for exams? In a similar way do you fail to put effort into research for your writing pieces?

Did you pave your own way in school and disregard any advice given to you by your peers or teachers? Are you now at the point when you think you are right in what you do and don’t need advice from anybody regards your writing?

Did you have a low self esteem when you were younger and feel you weren’t good enough for your peers, teachers, or family? Do you still suffer from low self esteem and consider your writing inferior to others? Do you have a negative self belief telling you that you are destined to fail?

If you still exhibit the traits now that you had when you were younger then it is likely this will continue into the future. So how do you stop it? It’s not easy but consider the ‘old you’ and the ‘new you’. Think about the mistakes you have made and how your negative attitudes shaped this. It’s an old adage but learn from your mistakes. Learn from your past behaviours and allow yourself a new way of thinking. It’s never too late to change but it will take some work on your part and it won’t happen overnight. You need to consciously decide to focus on a new way of thinking every day until it becomes a natural part of who you are. It will positively impact on you as a person and as a writer.

You don’t need a time machine to succeed. Begin to put into place your new thinking and your future time line is already becoming brighter.