People allow many different sovereigns to rule them, but among the worst and most common of these is the past. To successfully capitalize on the opportunities of the present, it is often necessary to break the shackles of the past. While this is never easy, it is imperative to living happily and successfully.
The all-important consideration here is that life exists in the future. As tempting as it sometimes is, dwelling excessively on one's past is living a quasi-life, something less than what it can be. Though it can be learned from and reflected upon positively, the past is dead. Accordingly, those who dwell in it can only be described as the living dead. And the only way not to join them is to continue forging ahead.
Not being ruled by one's past is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, this means not being conquered by failures, mistakes and even tragedies. But it isn't just those with horrible pasts who need to avoid living in it. The other side of the coin is that too often those who are successful and happy reach a point at which they rest on their laurels, fully content with what they have already achieved. Sometimes, this can be an even more deceptive snare.
Although it sometimes doesn't seem like it, each day of one's life is an independent event. So no matter how magnificent ' or how terrible ' yesterday might have been, today is something entirely separate. When you get out of bed in the morning, what you are about to embark upon is not so much a continuation of what has already taken place, but a new beginning entirely. As clich+
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Joe Vance
