Looking Back To Move Forward
Looking back to move forward is something I do on a continuous basis, but always on a bigger scale at this time when this yearly cycle is about to end and another will begin.
I believe that there is a purpose to our existence as human beings – to develop, grow and love.
To live out that purpose I think it is important to take stock of how we are doing, measure and celebrate our successes, see what is working for us, what isn’t and make changes accordingly.
I think the way we look back is also important. I used to look back on past events and happenings in my life with fear and anxiety. Fear and anxiety that those past events may repeat themselves if I gave them too much attention. Fear and anxiety that I would get lost in the pain or the hurt. Fear and anxiety that I would see that not a lot had changed. And so instead of looking back on the past in a productive way, I avoided it like the plague. I still held on to my stories of woe and in a very unhealthy and vulnerable way, I would tell anyone who would listen thinking this would help instead. Eventually, I realised this wouldn’t be enough to heal, not that people didn’t care about me and support me when I told my story, they did, but they weren’t trained to help or to support me in making changes and finding solutions.
I finally changed all that when I decided to get serious about working on my Personal Development along with seeking help and support through counselling. I have since learned how incredibly important it is to look back. Even more so I learned how important it is to look back on your life so far with the help and support of someone who is trained to listen deeply to you, empathise with you and understand you, help you by showing you the different patterns and behaviours that do not serve you and empower you to make positive changes within yourself, your life and your relationships with others.
So no longer do I look back with fear and anxiety, instead I look back with purpose in order to grow and develop from my experiences and to move forward with life in a purposeful way. I ask myself and write answers to many questions. What were the significant events of the past year – positive and negative. How did I react or behave? What were my successes? What did I do well and what could be improved upon? What would I do again? What did this year teach me? What did I learn? What had I set out to achieve that I didn’t? What goals will I bring forward to the coming year? These are all the questions that greatly promote forward movement. Simple exercise with amazing insights to be gained!
If you are looking for support in making positive changes in your life, my coaching programme – The Ultimate You is beginning in January, it will be an excellent way to kickstart 2020! Find out more…