Using Your Past To Determine Your Future

Most of your attention is not in the present moment.  It’s either focused on the past of what’s already happened or looking towards what might happen in the future.  But, the present is what creates the future.  It’s not your past and what has happened back then.  It’s what you do today.  It’s the choices and actions you take today that ultimately determine your future.  It’s not using your past to determine your future life. 

Past Experiences

When you look to the past to determine your future, you’re often operating out of fear.  You’re worried about the unknown future and you want to know what to expect.  Your brain uses the past memories, experiences, and even traumas to help predict what will happen in the future.  Logistically, it has no other means to do so other than to use the past.  However, the future is anything but certain.  Just because you experienced one outcome in the past does not mean that it will happen again in the future.  This is because there are so many variables that can make it different.  From other people involved, different situations, and scenarios, etc.  Even your level of expertise and knowledge has changed, assuming you’ve learned some things from your past challenges.  Looking at the past does not guarantee what will happen in the future.

Safety

Your brain wants to predict what will happen in the future as a protection mechanism.  It wants to keep you safe so it references the past to formulate an idea of what to expect in the future.  For instance, you burned your hand on a hot stove before so you avoid putting your hand on the stove in the future.  However, using the past isn’t always accurate.  Take for example, you were trying to achieve a goal and failed.  It might have been a really painful, embarrassing moment in your past which only intensified solidifying this memory in your brain.  In the future, your brain says oh wait, remember this past memory and how bad it was?  You’re going to fail again and experience the same thing if you try this next thing.  It’s better to just be safe and not try at all.  Your brain is trying to predict the future using a past memory that is not helping you to achieve your goals.  It’s only keeping you safely confined within your comfort zone of what you already know.

New Future

Instead, you must learn to envision a new future for yourself, without using the past as a definitive example of what could happen.  That begins with getting present today.  Take a moment to pause and visualize what you want that new future to look like.  Challenge the past stories you’ve formed that you believe to be true.  Next, decide that this new future is what you’re going to believe instead.  It’s not your past stories or beliefs.  It’s what you have visualized for yourself.  Then, you choose to start living into that new future today, right now in the present.  This is not easy work.  It’s transforming all the thoughts and beliefs you once had about your future.  Discover a new future for yourself.  Not a future created solely by your past experiences.

Confidence

When you start living into your new future, you’ll begin to step outside your comfort zone.  You’ll try new things.  You’ll be less afraid to fail.  When you experience that next scary thing in the future, you don’t revert back to old patters and beliefs.  Rather, you step boldly into your new future and say you’re ready to tackle anything.  It’s pulling from a level of confidence and self belief that you trust everything will work out, just as it has so far.  It’s having the confidence to know that you can figure things out and when you have that, anything is possible for your future.

Present

Your past is what’s already happened.  The past is not now.  You are safe.  Remind yourself of this important fact.  Your future is what hasn’t happened yet.  Everything you do right now, today is impacting your future.  What you do today is creating the life you’re going to be living in the future.  It’s time to get present.  The present is what’s happening right now.  This is all you have.  Not the past and what happened then.  Not the future and what’s ahead.  It’s today, right now.  Look at who you are being in the present day because this is where you inevitably create your future.  You’re no longer using the past.  You’re being present to who you are being and what you’re doing right now to determine your future.

Actions

Get clear on the life you want to be living.  Then, decide what mindset shifts you need to make today in order to make that life happen.  You want to achieve a goal that you’ve never achieved before.  That is going to require something different than you’ve ever done before.  You’re going to have to do something different.  You can’t continue doing what you’ve always done.  If you want that new future, you’re going to start acting different today to step into that version of you who has that life and future you’ve always dreamt of.  It’s not relying on the past to guide you or simply dreaming about what you want to happen in the future.  It’s fully living in it and taking action from that place today.  It’s being the version of you who is believes that new future is possible and choosing to take action today in order to get there.

Often times, you’re looking to the past to dictate the future.  You’re looking for past evidence to determine how the future will go.  However, the past is not a reliable predictor of the future.  Instead, you must take action based on where you want to be in the future.  Not where you are right now or what’s happened in the past.  The question becomes, what are you doing today to create the life and future you truly desire?  If you want something bad enough, you will find a way to make it happen.  It’s time to get dedicated and start doing the work.  Stop daydreaming about what could be or living in the fear of your past experiences.  It’s time to create your new future.  One that you’re excited for and proud of for stepping up to create a life you absolutely love.  Stop using your past to determine your future and start getting present to creating that amazing future life today.

Take Action Challenge

Future Self Activation

This week, you are going to stop letting your past make decisions for your future.

Step 1: Identify the Old Story

Write down what past experience are you using as evidence that you can't or shouldn't try something?

Be specific.

Was it a failure, a rejection, a moment of embarrassment, or a time you quit?

Name the past story.

Step 2: Rewrite the Narrative

Now ask yourself:

• What did you learn from that experience?

• How are you more capable now than when you were then?

• What would be different if you tried again today?

The past gave you data.  It's not a reliable predictor of your future outcome.

Step 3: Act From The Future, Not The Past

Visualize the version of you who already has the life you want.

Ask yourself if your future self were making the decisions today, what would you do?

Then, take one small action today from that future identity.

Not someday in the future.  Today, right now because the present is where your future gets built.

Your past does not define you.

The version of you who creates your future lives in today’s choices and actions.