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Accept & Influence
Leaving the past behind is a daunting task.
As an example, in golf, one of the most challenging mental and technical games, players often discuss the importance of the next shot. An average golfer’s round has a score of 90 shots, 90 shots that require about 30 seconds of focus.
That’s about 45 minutes that you need to concentrate on hitting the ball. In the other 3 to 4 hours, you have time to think about whatever you want.
What you should not think about is your last shot, no matter how bad or good it was. What you should also not think about is your chances of winning.
What truly matters is your dedication to the process NOW.
It’s good to have a vision. It’s good to have goals. It’s good to have your invaluable lessons of the past. It would help if you had all that to be able to perform in the moment. But once the time for execution is there, you take those perspectives with you when you focus on the now.
By accepting what has happened in the past, you’re not just moving on; you’re taking control of your present and future.
Business is just like real life sometimes.
The problem?
Humans generally find it incredibly hard to forget the past and focus on the present — in business and life. Predominately, we worry more about negative experiences than we celebrate positive experiences. We leave positive experiences behind us as if they never happened, without celebration, finding normal. They’re accepted as normal.
Negative experiences are a different breed. They can keep us up for days or even weeks. Mistakes and failures are often taken personally, and we’re defensive about them. They’re a projection of who we are.
It is easy to accept positive experiences, but it is hard to accept negative ones. We believe they define us.
It’s human nature to fear the worst, highlight the negative, and Pooh Pooh the positive. That’s human psychology, one-on-one.
“Always look on the bright side of life” is a popular song not because we do, but because we don’t.
