87. Learn to Reinterpret the Past

Do you ever find yourself reliving some upsetting event or circumstance of your life, feeling you just can’t seem to get over it? This could be anything from an altercation with a co-worker to the dissolution of your marriage. It could have happened years ago, or only yesterday. You keep thinking about it, wishing you had done things differently. It haunts you, but agonizing over it doesn’t seem to help.

One of the things I’ve been able to do as a result of slowing down the pace of my life is to stop reliving the past. I’ve come to realize that, when you get right down to it, there are no mistakes; there are no wrong decisions. I’ve gotten into the habit of interpreting the events of my life—whether apparently “good” or “bad”—as powerful circumstances that, no matter what the temporary outcome, will ultimately get me where I want to go.

Constantly reliving past events only complicates your life. Reinterpreting them as positive steps forward, and then moving on, will keep things simple.