Looking Forward Looking Back

I know, sort of funky post title but today I want to talk about looking forward, but to do so, you need to look back.

New Year's Eve: You're doing the whoop-de-doo and celebrating. The ball drops and everyone cheers - a new year has begun.  You spout your resolutions.

Now think about it for a few moments.

Can you truly move forward with your resolutions?  Can you honestly say that you're going to keep them?  Are they same trite lines you said just a mere year ago?  Be honest.  You know what I mean...

1) I will be a better person
2) I will lose weight
3) I will .... (fill in as needed)

If you'd looked back over the prior year, you might have discovered that maybe you did or you didn't keep that New Year's resolution.

Sure.  I wanted to lose weight ... and then dove into the homemade peanut brittle and fudge. I wanted to keep my sugar under control.  Yup!  That peanut brittle and fudge was just the number to do that!  Oh, then we had grilled cheeseburgers and deep-fried French fries as a midnight snack.  Yup!  Again, all in keeping my resolution.  NOT!

I gazed back over my prior year(s) and what I hoped and dreamed of happening.  Had I lost weight? No.  Was I a better person? I'd like to think so. One year I even accomplished my goal of not smoking.  Oh, it wasn't at the beginning of the year.  No.  I broke that resolution about January 5th.  It wasn't until late in September that I got so sick I didn't eat anything for 4 days and the idea of a cigarette forced me into a whimpering curl on the bed.  That was back in like 1985.  I haven't had a cigarette since.  I take it day by day and some days, even after all this time, really push the button but I persevere.

If you want to lose weight then actually apply yourself.  Don't put yourself in a losing position. To lose weight you need to eat healthy and exercise - that means no wandering into a McD or BK for a loaded burger. Go to a mall and speed walk a couple of times inside. To make it interesting, glance at the windows but don't slow to shop and then on the 2nd pass, examine just those items that actually caught your interest. But again, don't slow down.  Once you've finished your two or more runs of the mall. Now you can wander back to those places where you might be interested... as long as it isn't Cinnabons, Godiva's, or a fast-food place.  Of course, Randy's Salad Bar & Grill might be okay.  Also, when losing weight, avoid certain aisles in the grocery store - especially the candy, pop, ice cream and potato chip aisles.  I realize the checkout is a danger zone but sometimes you just have to buck up and stand your ground.

I've digressed.  You need to evaluate your past. You need to look at where you've been to know where you're going.  Your past will guide your future.

I've been writing for so many years but not really pushing to get everything published.  In fact, I hate rejection and get around that dilemma by not submitting.  Using an old axiom -  No submission, No rejection.  Sort of like No pain, no pain. LOL.

But it doesn't work that way.  You need to submit to get published.  Publishers will NOT come knocking on your door wanting to print anything you might have written.  It would be nice, but it just doesn't happen.

Look at your past, either just last year or go a few years beyond that.  Really examine it. Do you see the pattern?  Trust me, history repeats itself over and over.  Only YOU can break that circle.  You've seen where you've been. Now you have an idea of where you want to go and what you want for your future.

NOW you can make those New Year's resolutions.  Maybe this year they'll be something you actually can keep.  Maybe, come December, you'll be that person you really want to be.  If not, look back at 2014 and see what you need to fix to move forward into 2015.

Oh, if you slip off the wagon.  Don't worry.  It's slow moving and you can jump back on!  It's all up to you but I'll tell you now. Trudging down the road when you could be riding the wagon is not fun and in the long run, not conducive to your desires.

Without looking back to see where you've been, you can't move forward and know where you'll go.

Until next I ramble on...