Focus on Your Future, Not the Past

Learning to leave the past behind you isn’t easy. However it is important to develop your mindset to use the past as a power source to focus on your future. We all react to events in life very differently. Sometimes things happen in life that can change you and those around you forever, but how you deal with these things says a lot about who you are.

What we choose to focus on is key to maintaining a positive mindset. It can be easy to dwell on the past, and get stuck wondering what might have been, but is that really what you should do? Here are some ways you can improve your mindset by focusing on your future, leaving your past behind.

You’re Still Here 

When it comes to reflecting on past events, there’s one thing that you can always find some appreciation for. You’re still here. That means that whatever has come before you, whether it was a massive obstacle or defeat, that event didn’t end you.

You’re still here, and that says a lot about how resilient you can be. It’s important to realise that people are remarkably good at coming out on top of what they might find themselves up against. The fact that you can read this right now is a testimony to that.

Taking strength from the past obstacles you’ve overcome can help you focus on your future in ways you have never done before.

The next step is to try to find more things that you can be happy about.  

Focus On Your Future By Practicing Gratitude

The first step to really getting grounded and centered would be for you to spend some time focusing on what you are grateful for. There are lots of ways to do this, but one of the best would be for you to write a gratefulness journal.

As well as an excuse to treat yourself to stationary! Using a notebook and nice pen that resonates with you will help.

Free write about all that you are grateful for in the present moment. Practice this gratitude process each day to fill your heart with love for all that is working in your life. This helps shift your mindset to focus on your future instead of dwelling on things you wish had taken place in the past. Freeing yourself of past negative emotions and any lack mentality you may be holding on to.

Read over your list each day and add to it. Anytime you feel you need a lift and a positive shift in focus, your gratitude journal is there for you.

Accept Negativity as Lessons

It can be really frustrating when you put time and effort into certain relationships only to find that the person or persons were never what or who they said they were. This can be extremely jarring, and it might take a long time for you to get over. Nevertheless, the more effort you make to get over it, the happier you will be in the long run.

The healthiest way to look at these kinds of situations is to look upon them as a lesson, a gift almost in life. Without these lessons we wouldn’t grow and evolve. They’re not always the most pleasant experiences, but you can take what you learned about people in that situation and use it to protect you from similar happenings as you focus on your future. 

This doesn’t mean that you color every interaction with other people with the same feelings towards them as the people you encountered in the past. It’s more about awareness and avoiding giving people the same kind of unchecked power over you, and your emotions in the future.

Learn to See a Better Future

When you start to see yourself and your future in a more positive light, it’s a lot easier to see possibilities that can be open to you. Instead of thinking about where things went wrong, you can choose to use past experiences to prepare you for the kinds of things that can go wrong, and be ready for them instead of taken by surprise.

When you have a better outlook on things, it’s a lot easier to attract more positive things in life. If you’ve committed to making a few positive changes in life that can help you achieve goals, then it’s important to figure out how to lay the path that allows you to get there. 

Plan for Future Goals with a List

In order to make your goals more solid to yourself, it’s a really good idea to try making a list. That will allow you to see all of the things you want each day. The more focused on those things you become, the more likely it will be that you are motivated to make sure that they come true.

Having the list also means that you can put the goals into an order of most important to least important so that you know what you should be spending most of your time pursuing. 

The printable Goal Planner Journal below is the perfect way to focus on your future and set the ball in motion for all you want to achieve in life.

Distance Yourself from Toxic People 

This will be the hardest part of this article for a lot of people. A lot of people tie their worth to the amount of relationships they have even when the people in their lives aren’t the most positive or supportive people.

This can be a huge impediment to progress, both professionally and personally. The best thing to do, is to assess each relationship you have and find out if those people have been toxic, self-esteem damaging people, of if they’ve been good, uplifting friends that have helped you to see yourself in a healthier way. 

In summary this is about you taking control of your life and where you stand in the world. We all have choices to make, day in day out. Focusing on the future can be as daunting or as exciting as you choose for it to be.

Once you realise that you do have a choice, that you don’t have to live with old limiting beliefs that no longer serve you. That it’s ok to distance from people who don’t make you feel good about yourself, and most importantly, that you are not defined by you past. You will start to live the life you’ve always dreamed of and your future can be as amazing as you want it to be.

See you next #wellbeingwednesday