Looking Backward - Grasshopper

The Grasshopper recently shared this with me in the deli line: “There’s a good reason to go backward: so not to go forward in the same direction.”

There’s a lot of looking back that goes on in peoples’ lives. Some of it are walks down memory lane, which can be a pleasant stroll. But looking back with regret makes up the lion’s share of our backward journeys.

“If I had only done this instead of that” is the framework of this regretful trek. That’s really looking through the telescope backwards.

A more fruitful way of looking back is to recognize the pitfalls we failed to see then, and map out a forward direction that fills in the potholes for a smoother ride.

“If I only knew then what I know now,” is a lament that most of us have opined in our time. But you can use “then” as a springboard to now by revisiting the past and observing what you did under the looking glass. This close observation will reveal not only the missteps that are now easy to see, but also the moves that will set you free.

If your life contains more than your fair share of repetitive mistakes, it’s time to look backward for the signs that head you off in a new direction.

All the best,