You can’t always connect the dots looking forward; sometimes you have to look backwards for everything to make sense. –Steve Jobs
Wow. Another glorious weekend on the East Coast of the US. And my wife and I took full advantage of the weather by making an unforgettable trip down to my brother and sister-in-law’s beach house in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Celebrating the gradual transition from one season to the next, it was the perfect time to reflect back on the great memories from the Summer and look forward to a fresh start in the Fall. The Ancient Romans celebrated this time of change with numerous festivities and celebrations. Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings, was exalted during this period.
As we soaked in the rays, I couldn’t help but think about Janus looking back into the past with one face and looking forward into the future with the other. Though seemingly conflicted, this balance of thoughtful reflection and hopeful anticipation captures the essence of the changing season. And shouldn’t we all have that same dual mindset in our work and personal lives?
Perspective is a Powerful Ally
In our work lives, it is prudent and productive to look forward and tackle the next great challenge. How can I impact more clients? How can I help my players or students better maximize their potential? How can I take on more responsibility? How can I advance my personal brand and career? Looking forward sets the bar high and gives us a milestone to anchor our future dreams and goals. The sky is the limit and a forward-looking mindset can set us up for great achievement.
But sometimes, we need to simultaneously look backward to experience true fulfillment. If we are constantly driving forward without appreciating how far we have come, we are in danger of sapping the joy and satisfaction out of our lives. Think about how many customers we have helped. Think about how many students we have impacted. Think about how much responsibility we now have in our career. We have already come so far and accomplished so much! There is a difference between staying hungry for more and reflecting on how we have arrived at our current state. These two perspectives are not mutually exclusive. We need to appreciate how far we have come. And dream of how far we can go!
Look Back to Move Forward
The same is true in our personal lives. How can I improve my relationships? How I can eat healthier and exercise more? How can I reduce the chaos in my family? How can I read more books? How can I study harder? All of these are worthy goals and require maximum effort and discipline. But we aren’t going to get there overnight. We aren’t always going to be successful. Sustained progress toward a goal is a remarkable accomplishment but sometimes our progress moves at a glacial pace.
We need to look back to see how much we have improved. We need to look back to appreciate how much we have grown. At one point, did we ever imagine we could support a family? Did we ever imagine we could buy a house? Did we ever imagine we could provide for our own parents? (and if we haven’t reached this stage of life, we will get there!). We can’t beat ourselves up if we have further to go on our journey . We can always do more. But we need to allow ourselves the satisfaction to look back and recognize our progress. This will propel us even further as we look to the future!
Create the Future
But what happens when we experience a setback or make a wrong decision? What happens when we fail and lose our motivation? During these times, we tend to only look backwards and dwell on our situation. Why am I always coming up short? Why can’t I ever get a break? Why didn’t I do this or that? Stewing about the past will not change your situation!. Closing off the world will not help improve our lives. If we want to dig out and move forward, we must play an active role in creating your own future. We need to ask different questions. What can I do next time to improve? What person or event will help me achieve my goals? What can I do today to define my success tomorrow? Baby steps. Resiliency starts with an understanding of how we got to our present and ends with a determination to actively create a better future.
A day at the beach in October can teach us so much. Life is a constant balance between our past and future. We need to allow ourselves the peace of mind to look back on how far we have come and maintain the focus to look forward with a hunger for more. As Janus symbolizes, life is a series of beginnings and endings. We are still at the beginning of our own journey. We have accomplished so much, but our greatest achievements are ahead of us.
Let’s create our glorious future today!