I am fresh off of doing my time. To translate I just finished a 6hr CQ shift for being FTR. Let me break it down again. I was late to a formation just last week due to setting my alarm to the wrong time. In my company, as punishment for not being 15min early (FTR - Failure To Report) to the formation, on the weekend you will do (2) 6 hour shifts of CQ with no electronics in your vicinity. It is total torture and should be ruled as "Cruel and Unusual Punishment" (joking). But I bet you I will never be late again!! Well sitting there with nothing in front of me but a book and my thoughts of course my thoughts took over quickly. A lot crosses your mind in 6 hours! Even things that you shouldn't be thinking about at all. Even things you said you'd never think about again, which lead me to this post.
It's been some years since I first heard one of my favorite proverbs but it states "There's a reason why the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror. The most important things are to come in front of you, not what's behind you!" I can't recall where I was or who was speaking when I first heard it but it has never left my mind. All too often we find ourselves regretting things we've done in the past, questioning those decisions and subsequently downing ourselves because of them. I think about my past. People I have encountered. Things I have done. Lies I have told. People I have betrayed. Words I have spoken to damage others. The list could go on. I'm not proud of those things in the slightest bit but I know they are things that I can't change. Because they can't be changed I refuse to dwell on them and become internally damaged by the experiences. How would you define the word "experience"? I define it as an event that has occurred to be studied on and used as a reference for future situations. The key is to not focus on the past. Make it a glance.
When you are driving in your vehicle you spend more time focused forward than behind. Apply those principles to your life. Keep your head forward. Only glance in the rear view (past). In comparison it's very dangerous to spend too much time focused on the rear view (past) than the windshield when you are constantly moving forward. In a vehicle it's deadly, in life it's damaging and can cause internal death to your future. Think about it. You move forward A LOT more than you are going backwards. One reason is because it is easier to drive down the interstate looking at your windshield than your rearview. Another reason is that the windshield is obviously larger than the rearview. When travelling in reverse the mirror is only so big. You cant see everything around you and not to mention the car is much more difficult to control. You ultimately see your destination in your windshield and not your rear view. That alone should tell you that if you're looking in your rear view looking for your destination, THATS THE WRONG PLACE!! It's ahead of you! Life moves forward, so do you. The past only calls for visits, not residence.