Don’t live in the past, but it’s a great place to visit

What’s the old cliche… those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it?
I’m going to crawl out on a limb and say that it’s not always a bad thing.

I am constantly amazed at the limitations people put on themselves:
“I’m not smart enough to do this.”
“I don’t have enough experience to do that.”
“Oh, I could never get out of my comfort zone and do the other thing.”

When you are faced with a challenge, you can choose to see it as a limitation or an opportunity — and you’re the only one who can make the choice between these two options.  The decision you make will be dictated by your attitude.

People who impose boundaries on themselves are choosing to focus on their perceived inadequacies. Fear, doubt, and failure have gained control over their mind.  Those who choose to see the challenge as an opportunity are focusing on their own strengths, courage, and capabilities — which will inevitably lead to their success.

How can you make the right choice the next time you’re faced with this decision?
Learn from the past — and repeat it.

You’ve all had at least one (and most likely a dozen) experiences in your life when you made the right choice and benefited from that small risk you took in order to gain the big reward.  The time you swung for the fences and hit a homerun. The time you entered the talent show and got a huge round of applause. The time you got on the giant rollercoaster and experienced the thrill of the ride.

Revisit those past successes from time to time and relive the positive electricity that coursed through your mind and body and gave you that “success high” — and then bring yourself back into the present and realize you can feel that good again TODAY by risking a little to gain a lot.