Reflections of Yesterday Can Create A Better Tomorrow

Everyone has a past, some good, some bad. We call it the past because it is behind us, in the distance. History teaches us that if we cannot reflect on our past, it destines us to repeat it. As we enter this new season of our lives, it is always good to take a moment and reflect on it because Reflections of Yesterday Can Create A Better Tomorrow.

“Time never tires of running,”

-Amad (The great Egyptian poet)

With a new year comes new opportunities. Opportunities to grow. Opportunities to serve others. Opportunities to create a better existence for ourselves, our Loved ones, and the world.

With a new year come new challenges. Challenges to us personally. Challenges to our families. Challenges to our tribe. Challenges to our world as we know it.

But we, as people of humanity, can face these challenges and overcome them. We have the power within us collectively and individually to overcome any obstacle that life puts in front of us, no matter the circumstance.

As long as people of humanity have existed, wrongs have happened. We have carried injustices out. Some in the name of progress, some in the name of greed, and some in seek of power.

In order to overcome our past and prevent from making the same mistakes, we, as people of humanity, must reflect and take an honest look at ourselves individually in order to prevent the past from reoccurring in our future.

Merriam-Webster defines reflection as:

Reflection noun

: a thought, idea, or opinion formed, or a remark made because of meditation[1]

“Study the past if you would define the future.”

-Confucius

Reflecting on the past does not mean standing in it, it means standing on it. Your past does not make you who you are, it merely makes you where you are. Reflecting on it is how we do not repeat it. We all have made mistakes; we all know that. But if we are to move forward into a bright new era, we must reflect on what did not serve us and change it.

In the definition above, we should take special not to the instructions given:

a thought, idea, or opinion formed…

because of meditation…

In order to change the way life has been will require humanity, starting with ourselves, to think different thoughts. Thoughts lead to emotions. Emotions lead to ideas. Ideas lead to action. Action leads to change.

Reflection should start with ourselves first. In this fast-paced society, we now live in a time where spending time alone without distractions is exceedingly difficult for us. We have grown accustomed to the distractions. Some would say addicted to them.

Timothy Wilson, a social psychologist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and colleagues, conducted a test and recruited hundreds of undergraduates and community volunteers to take part in “thinking periods.”

The results were shocking. When given the choice of being shocked by pushing a button while being left alone by themselves or not, 67% of males, and 25% of women shocked themselves because they could not entertain themselves with cell phones and outside distractions removed for the environment there were in.[2]

Arabic Proverbs: Mafish Halawa Min Gheir Nar:

Translation: There is no sweetness without fire.

Meaning: Nothing good comes easy.

Self-reflection is difficult, especially with outside distractions. My suggestion is to start slowly. Go for a small walk and do not look at your phone. Extend the time until you get comfortable without it for a short while.

When you are ready, start reflecting. Reflecting on the past should be constructive, with no judgements or guilt attached.

Your past does not make you who you are, only where you are.

-Joseph Binning, author

Start with the old self. Reflect on:

• Mistakes and patterns from the past and how they served you or didn’t.
• Your attitude towards life and those around you.
• Your spirt and how you nurtured it or didn’t.
• Your strengths and victories and how they served you or didn’t.
• Your weakness and defeats and what can be learned from them.
• Your attitude overall and how it served you or didn’t.

Next reflect on your Spirit. Reflect on:

• Your belief system. Did it serve you or not?
• Your open mindedness or lack of. Did it serve you or not?
• Did you feel centered and connected to your source or not?
• Did you test all things or take it on faith they were your truth?

Next reflect on your family. Reflect on:

• Did you lead them to help them grow or not?
• Were you kind and did you protect them from yourself or not?
• Did you put them first or not?
• Did you serve them or not?

Next reflect on your new self. Reflect on:

• What can you change to make yourself a better person for you?
• How can you show yourself more self-Love in order to Love better?
• How can you empower yourself in order to empower others better?
• How can you be humbler in order to show others more humility?

Next reflect on the future. Reflect on:

• Reflect on learning to leave the past behind you in order to protect today.
• Reflect and envision the feats and memories you want to create in your future.
• Reflect on how you can help more people outside of your tribe.
• Reflect on the legacy you want to leave behind.

“The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.”

-Confucius

History will repeat itself unless we acknowledge our past. We need not stand in it, but on it. Stand on your story, not in it. By learning to be still long enough for your inner voice to speak to you, so you might hear what it has to say that will make your tomorrow a brighter day. Therefore Reflections of Yesterday Can Create A Better Tomorrow.

Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.

-Babe Ruth

I’ve written another article that you might like. You can read it here:

IN THE END ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT YOU DO

If you have enjoyed this article, please visit me at www.JosephBinning.com for more helpful tips and articles.

You can also get more helpful information in my book You Matter, even if you don’t think so which you can purchase on Amazon here Amazon You Matter, even if you don’t think so

For my free report Happiness Is A Choice click here: Happiness Is A Choice Free Report

Remember: Happiness is a choice, so be happy.

[1] Reflection definition/Merriam-Webster.com/accessed 11/19/2020/ https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reflection

[2] People would rather be electrically shocked than left alone with their thoughts/ Nadia Whitehead/ Jul. 3, 2014, 2:00 PM/accessed 11/AAAS.com/ https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/07/people-would-rather-be-electrically-shocked-left-alone-their-thoughts