subject: Looking Towards The Future [print this page] Many people have had quite a few negative experiences throughout their lives. Perhaps they grew up in a bad or troubled family or associated with the wrong people in the neighborhood when they were growing up. Some people, tragically, go on to commit crimes and are incarcerated for a number of years. Others have experienced physical and emotional abuse, depression, or other serious obstacles along the way.
Perhaps you have not experienced any of the above, and your life may be relatively peaceful when compared to the above situations. Nevertheless, there is a likely chance that you have faltered in a number of areas up until now, and those failures may have weighed considerably upon you and kept you from realizing your goals.
Many people unfortunately let their previous mistakes (as well as past experiences that were outside of their control) determine their present and future condition. They focus on the past problems instead of looking for future solutions. Always remember that many people have gone through the same experiences that you have had and have come out on the other side to experience success.
It is very important that you remember this: where you're going is more important than where you've been.
The first step in experiencing real change in your life is to accept responsibility for your actions as difficult as this may be. So many people go through their adult life continuing to make excuses for their mistakes and never accepting complete responsibility as adults. Once you accept responsibility, you'll realize that you have choices to make each and every single day, and these choices will determine the future course of your life.
You may want to deny responsibility so that you don't have to take the blame for your failures. At the same time, accepting responsibility can be scary because there is always the possibility that you will fail in any given endeavor. However, accepting responsibility can also be a liberating and empowering step in your journey towards success.
This is true because accepting responsibility helps eliminate excuses and all the negative emotions that you may feel when you blame others for your problems. At the same time, it gives you control and allows you to make decisions that can significantly improve your life. You do not need permission from anyone else to start making the right decisions. This simple truth can be quite liberating.
