Your career - let go of its past

Do you keep brooding over what went before? Or, does the centre of your attention remains on what is likely to unfold for you?

Thinking of the past – even what happened decades ago – is quite a common phenomena. People simply cannot escape from the clutches of their past. Discussions and tête-à-têtes that transpired; assignments and tasks that were undertaken; or any other event that occurred continue to haunt them. Perhaps in doing so, they want to make certain that mistakes committed earlier are not repeated.

There is nobody who would not like things to change for the better; and aspects related to their career are included in the list. Whatever has already happened should be taken as an experience and should not trouble you unnecessarily. Your future is what matters the most and therefore, whatever you decide to do is important.

You have to let go of your past. That is how you will be able to transform your future. Here is how you can do it:

·   Acknowledge that you are reined in by your past:  Consider this – you are rather angry at some adverse development and are passing the buck. The fact is that you are trapped and wedged; and are being prevented for taking any action. Perhaps after some time, the issue of who was responsible or who had erred loses significance. What actually matters is your career and it is you alone who is responsible for its advancement. Being disturbed by what happened is perfectly natural, but you should not brood over it continually. Instead, the verve and vim that is wasted in doing so should be utilized to produce something special, something that could be used for a better tomorrow.

·   Exonerate yourself of any erring:  You may have gone wrong, you may have blundered. And you could well be cursing yourself for whatever happened. But if a second person had to narrate the details to you, how would you respond? Possibly and in all likelihood, you would not be aggressive in your reaction. If that be so, why should you curse yourself? Remember that to err is human; but you must learn from your mistakes. You should derive a renewed vigour from your experiences and the experience per se should not be allowed to linger on in your mind. If you do not do so, you will not be able to settle on your future. In other words, you should exonerate yourself of any mistake that you made and concentrate on your positive attainments. You should gear up for the future and that necessitates bidding adios to whatever has happened. The past should remain at a place it deserves to be in - behind you.

·   Evaluate things without prejudice:  Letting go of your past in entirety is not possible and is not suggested. You could just recollect it; reminiscences could simply be allowed to glide and not hover around. You should evaluate if whatever has happened was a singular event or whether it has been a chronic affair. Rather than getting unduly perturbed, you should be on the look out for any set designs and what you did to bring them about. Your intention should be to view your past from a fresh point of view. This will help you to identify problem areas and institute remedial measures. 

·   Be proactive:  If your past does not haunt and characterize you, your current times can be highly enjoyable. Resultantly and concurrently, you will be able to define an impelling line of action that will serve to make you advance in your career. You should look within yourself without fail and seek to know the position that you would like to be in, say after one, two or three years down the line. That could be your objective and hence you must enunciate your action plan to be there. You will involuntarily become forward-looking; and realize that an upsurge in your determination that has been brought about is transforming your career for the better.

Forgetting the past is a difficult affair. But remembering it is even worse. You have to put out of your mind what has gone, be glad about what still remains and look forward to what is coming next.