by Alex Roldan
Just like the seasons, years come and go. We leave behind the old to meet the new with much optimism and self-assurance. It is a cycle until the end of our respective spiral of life that not one among us mortals knows when. But as long as we live, there is no other option for the living but to face the new challenges ahead.
Optimism is a word that is not floating in air. It is anchored on our realization of the uncertainties that the New Year may bring, and the recognition of our individual limits to face whatever challenges lie ahead of us. The fear of the unknown and the weight of the past year’s unfinished business make the task more daunting.
The common adage that tells us to forget the past so that we can effectively move forward has been oversimplified by many, and instead misplaced their optimism only to realize later that they have not moved an inch from their past conditions.
Leaving the past behind is a fallacy. It is escapist and, worse, a fatalist concept. No one can leave the past, it is already a part of oneself, and leaving it would make one miss the most important lessons of life. The past is like the building blocks of life, it determines who and what you are today – that provides you with the level of confidence to face the present and coming challenges. You do not leave it, but instead dwell on it.
Dwelling on the past is not what many believe as the reason why they cannot move on. It is the opposite. There is a world of difference between people who dwell on the past and people who dwell in it. The former is normal; the latter is often a sign of some greater problem. He who dwells on the past has his mind set in the present or focused on the future, stopping occasionally to re-visit moments from his personal history. But he who dwells in the past is generally so full of regrets and remorse that his focus is, obsessively and sometimes compulsively, on that which he would change but cannot.
The past is a treasure not only of the best and the worst times of our life, but of learning. That is your personal treasure, that when harnessed, it keeps you on track of your plans. It makes you clever during trying times. Remember, a good decision is a product of complex lessons learned from one’s past.
People who dwell in their past are those who continue to reminisce their former victories and thus would want to insist on a status quo. They want to stay in what others call “comfort zones.” They fear to tread outside of these zones because they dwell in their past and not on their past.
The same with business. Investment losses are not entirely lost – if you are aware of their value. The real value is when you know what happened and why it happened to your investments. That is the treasure of learning from the past. But if you dwell in those losses, finding somebody to blame to justify the mistake (if indeed a mistake was made) then the value of your investment losses goes down the drain.
Optimism is therefore not just an expression of being comfortable that you can overcome the New Year’s challenges, but because you are prepared for it aided by the lessons learned from your past.
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