Better is in the future, not the past

​When you want to live a better life, it's tempting to live in the past and believe the better life was going to be found in making better decisions back then - or having better things happen to you back then.

The truth is, though, if you'd done different things in the past, if different things would have happened to you in the past, the only thing you know for sure is - life would be different.

There's no way of knowing - there's no reason for believing - life would have been better.

This 'better' you reference when you look to the past, it's an image of what you wish life looked like now. And looking to the past to explain the gulf between this image and reality is a way of blaming yourself and others for this constant need to wish.

Well you don't have to wish. There's a great opportunity in having this image of better. There's a great opportunity in knowing what separates you from the life you have and the life you know could be better.

That opportunity is found in taking steps toward better and stop looking to the past to explain why it hasn't already happened. Every moment in the past explaining why better hasn't happened yet is a more reasonable explanation for why better isn't going to happen.

If you had done things different in the past - if different things would have happened to you - life would be different.

It's Monday. You don't have to settle for different, you can have better. They key is to quit looking to the past for it and insist on it in your future.