Let go of yourself and move on Sunday, 18 March 2012 10:04
“One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us.” A number of times we do not progress in life because we hold ourselves to the mistakes or the failures of the past. There will always be mistakes in life: be it in business, marriage, personal affairs or career-wise. I really wonder if there are people who plan to make mistakes.
What makes the difference is how you deal with your mistakes or your failures. There is no human being on this earth who has never made a mistake. Do not let your mistakes take advantage of you; take advantage of your mistakes and move on with your life. The challenge with most people is that they adopt a perfectionist approach to life. This does not mean that you have to live your life carelessly. You need to be fair on yourself. A perfectionist approach to life is a sure and guaranteed source of heartbreaks and frustrations in life. The past will never be changed There is no way that the past can be changed even though we might want it to be so. One of the challenges that most people have is that they tend to blame themselves for everything bad that has ever happened in their lives. While it is important to take responsibility, it is not healthy to blame yourself. Nothing in life was ever changed by regretting or by blaming anyone, including yourself. This only serves to hold you down and stagnate any progress in life.
Do not stay in the past, gather the confidence and look straight ahead and move towards your destiny. Michael Cibenko once made an interesting remark: “One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us.” Do not miss out on future opportunities by focusing on past mistakes. Life is too short to spend it in self-condemnation. Let go of yourself and create an environment of progress.
Learn to forgive yourself A great number of people find it easy to forgive other people but find it very difficult to forgive themselves. You need to come to a realisation that you also deserve your own forgiveness just like any person in the world.
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Let go of yourself and move on Sunday, 18 March 2012 10:04
If you do not forgive yourself, you only make yourself a stranger to yourself. There is a deep gap that is created inside you.
There is no greater achievement than coming back to yourself and being one again. Avoid the loneliness that is caused by not forgiving yourself. Thomas Merton once noted that, “what can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?” Bridge the gap that is within you and enjoy the completeness that ensues from forgiving yourself.
Extract lessons from your failure Each and every failure that we experience has a bundle of lessons for us. Learn something from your failures and implement the lessons to your advantage. The real measure of a person lies not in the number of times he or she has failed but by the number of times they have arisen from their failures. It does not matter what you might have done in life, there is still hope that you can be that person you always wanted to be. Look at your failure; if it is a business transaction, look for different ways of doing things, look for opportunities to make adjustments.
If it’s academic, consider your studying strategy, invest more time in resources and even lessons. The examples go on depending on the area that you would have failed. Continue speaking positive about yourself and your life.
Never speak negative about your life. Any word that you speak has power to build or to destroy. King Solomon told us that, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21). The failures that you might have encountered in life do not define you but help you discover who you are.
Gather yourself The story of the Prodigal Son speaks volumes on why it is important to forgive ourselves. “When he came to his senses, he said, `How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make
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Let go of yourself and move on Sunday, 18 March 2012 10:04
me like one of your hired men.”’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” (Luke. 15:17 - Luke. 15:20).
The above story is very common and very indicative of what most people did at some point in time — wasting opportunities, their lives, time and other precious resources. The most important thing that the young man did in this particular instance was the decision to collect himself and make the decision to move on with this life. Many lives, including yours, will be changed the moment you make this decision to move on with your life.
Gather yourself and return to the place called purpose. God is never mad at you. God is never mad at you; he is madly in love with you. This is the reason why you should never run away from Him but run to Him. The above story clearly demonstrates this fact. The most important decision had to be made first: gathering yourself and getting up.
Great people are never people who never made mistakes, they are people who got up from their mistakes and moved on with their lives. The Bible records the life of David whom God called, “a man after my heart”, who at one point in time actually killed someone’s husband and snatched the wife. David still had to move on with his life and return to the purpose for which God had called him.
The most famous Psalm 23 by David was written after the Bathsheba incident. This simply shows how great God’s love is. Take advantage of this and make things right with Him
Your business life, marital life, personal life can change when you take the first step to change it. One of the ways to do this is by letting go of yourself from your mistakes and confidently facing the future. I will leave you with this thought: “It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.” (Jackie Joyner).
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Let go of yourself and move on Sunday, 18 March 2012 10:04
- Arthur Marara is the founder and chairperson of the Greatness Clinic Trust. He is an attorney, author and motivational conference speaker. Send your feedback to info@greatnesstrust.com or join him on Facebook.
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