Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing!   You could likely resolve the majority your issues or challenges that you’ve had in your life with this insight.

Just take a moment to look back at one of the moments in time that you made a choice, but in hindsight wished you’d made a different decision.

Taking each of our life’s experiences and learning from them is a natural part of our journey.

Still isn’t this the essence of life…

Sometimes learning a tough life lesson is vital for our future growth, because without it we’d like fall into the same trap or make the same decision that got us into the predicament but in the future instead.

Clearly, this may add significant complications down the road.

I think the best way to look at hindsight is to ask, “what advice would you give to your younger self”.

I suppose it’s somewhat dependent upon the specifics of the situation, but in general what are the three things you’d tell your younger self to help them?

For me I think the three most important pieces of advice I’d give my younger self are:

  1. Listen more and speak less.  We tend to want to speak and give our input, sometimes at the expense of listening or taking in all points of view.  There are several benefits to this piece of advice:
    • assists us to look at situations in a neutral way so we can separate our emtions from the scenario.
    • allows us to absorb all aspects prior to providing your point-of-view, guidance or assistance to others
    • provides us space to not make hasty decisions.
  2. Lead with love.  It’s too easy to take offence or get riled up about inconveniences or annoyances in life.
    • Learn to be patient and forgive others.  This is an important sign of maturity and emotional intelligence.
    • Developing empathy for others where we can place ourselves in the shoes of other and be understanding of their situation.
    • Helping others without the expectation of a reward or some sort of benefit actually makes you feel good as well as helping others.
    • Generally, being generous and kind in terms of your support and giving your time to others to this end.
    • Allow for forgiveness.  Holding grudges only blocks you from living your life.
  3. Always follow your gut instinct.  
    • Remember, the decision is always yours, but it needs to be an educated decision versus a reaction, so look at the situation from all sides first before deciding.
    • Your first instinct is often right – if you see red flags take them for what they are.  You’re not crazy – they’re red flags.
    • If someone shows you who they really are, believe them.
    • Take action and not procrastinate when you know what you need to do.  Prolonging the situation is not good or for the other parties involved.
    • Move on quickly.

Another important aspect is being able to forgive yourself.

Yes, forgiving your younger self for making a mistake or a poor decision is an important milestone and one that we all, at some point need to make.

It’s easy to look back and continue to castigate yourself, but at some point, you need to take that emotional step back and understand that its now history and that you can’t do anything about it.

What’s done is done!

Often, I’ve found that there is a lot of negative talk associated with looking at your mistakes, either past or present.

I believe that this is one of the most destructive things you can do for your psyche and overall confidence.  It’s so important to stop this practice.

The patterns created by negative talk are like ripples in a pond.

They seep their way into every aspect of your life, and before long you’re stuck a constant stream of negativity inhibiting your life.

Hindsight is useful in seeing and experiencing both the positive and negative moments in your life.  However, it’s important to remember that they are a reference point only and don’t define who you are.

Who you were in the past does not dictate who you are now.

Many of us find ourselves, particularly as we get older thinking about the “good old days”.   Let me be clear, they were just days, just like the ones you’re experiencing now.

The lens and mindset in which you look at life on a daily basis is self-created and self-fulfilling.

It’s true that some days will have a greater, and sometimes long-lasting impact but they are all just days, but it’s how you look at them that is the differentiator.

We all have the ability to use hindsight as a reference point, but the important point is to keep as just that… a reference.

Moving forward with clarity and positivity will set you apart from many around you.

Let’s face it you owe it to yourself to keep showing up every day, living in the present with an eye on the future to be your best self.

Until next week.

Ciao!