When is it OK to look ahead? When is it alright to look back? Is it possible to do both? Which approach should consume the majority of our time? Is there a correct answer or do we just hope for the best mixture?
This is something I have been thinking about both in my professional life and my personal life. I'm big on self-improvement (though my plans rarely come to fruition), so I can be a deep thinker every now and again.
There are days I wish I would have made different decisions in my personal life (e.g., finish college, wait to have children, saved more money, etc.). And there are days I do the same in my professional life (e.g., reacted better to bad news, gone for that new job, tooted my own horn, etc.). The problem with "wish I would have" is that I didn't. I made a choice and for better or worse, the consequences remain the same. Does that mean the consequence can't evolve?
I didn't finish college and get a dream job, but that doesn't mean I can't go finish my degree and get my "dream job". I never saved any money, but I can start today. There is no evolution to the consequence of having A-Cat when I was young (and I was 25 for those of you that don't know me - I wasn't an unwed teenage mom, but I hadn't finished college to get a dream job and save money to be financially stable for a child). Momminess does evolve. I become a better mommy everyday (with a few mother-dearest moments scattered in).
I have realized that I am a contradiction in and of myself along with a personality profiler's worst nightmare. I'm not a planner in my personal life, I don't look to the future and make a list (unless a vacation is involved). I am, however, a planner in my professional life - I know what I want and I strategically accomplish it bit by bit.
What I have learned is that even Planners have to look backwards sometimes. What worked before? What fell flat? It's also true that all those fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants folks have to eventually look ahead, if for no other reason than to hope.
I'm OK with my split personality, and I am thankful that the traits fall where they do. I don't know that I would enjoy a planned-out home life nor a whatever-may-come business life. There is no "right answer," only the answer that works best for each of us. So, look ahead to hope and look back to remember!
On the way up to Clark's Tower, Winterset, IA (10/11/08)
On the way back from Clark's Tower headed to a party, Winterset, IA (10/11/08)
1 comment:
Great post! Holy, I can relate to everything you said.
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