When you wake up in the morning, what are some things that first come to mind? Okay! Forget thoughts about hitting the snooze button on the alarm or checking your smartwatch to see if your headache is from a lack of sleep or one too many nightcaps last night. I’m talking about whether you think about what’s ahead or what you left behind.

Most of us think about what lies ahead. However, some wake up and are still pondering what happened in the past. The question then becomes, which is more important: things that have yet to happen or those that have. Of course, the term more important is extremely subjective. What is important to me might be of little consequence to someone else.

I concentrate on the future. After all, there is little I can do about the past. And, at this point, some eyes are rolling, and heads are shaking. Thoughts are popping up like subtitles on a screen as people think I am blowing off the past. This is especially true of people who have been wronged in the past or those who have wronged others and dealt with the repercussions.

I am not preaching that one can ignore the past. I have been through the apology process for my past sins against another more times than I care to remember. Yet, I cannot let those mistakes weigh me down. None of us are perfect, but we can learn from our mistakes, which brings me back to the point of this piece. Do I spend more time thinking about the future or the past?

First, I do my best to focus on the future, keeping the past in mind. Past actions can impact you, those around you, and things that happen in the future. So, as I share my thoughts here today, I remember things that happened in the past. As time marches on, these things shaped who I am today and who I will be.

Whatever those things were, good or bad, they do not monopolize my thoughts. I’ve come to terms with them. I concentrate on what I am trying to accomplish and where I am trying to go.

In closing, I have one final thought. There are things in my past I cherish and hope I never forget. However, I do not dwell on them or wish I could return to those days. They helped make me who I am today and who I will be. Still, they cannot be the focus of my life.

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