You're Not Going That Way

When my Aunt Judy was in college, she and her friend discovered after an evening out that her car would not shift out of reverse.

Six miles from their apartment, they resorted to what they thought was their only choice. They drove home. Backwards. 

Hearing her tell that story had me in stitches. Imagine navigating six miles of road - turns, traffic signals, intersections - IN REVERSE. 

Growing up, I had a Mary Engelbreit print in my room that read, “Don’t look back. You’re not going that way,”

...to which I loved to add, “Unless you’re Aunt Judy.” 

One life analogy I find particularly helpful is that of the windshield and rear view mirror.

When compared side by side, the windshield is enormously bigger than the rearview mirror, and for good reason.

Where you're going matters more than where you've been.

Of course, the rear view mirror has its purpose. Now and then, we need to glimpse behind us. But the more attention we give to what's behind us, the more it slows us down.

What’s ahead of us, on the other hand, is wide open. It is possibility, opportunity, and entirely up to us.