Moving Forward Sometimes Means Looking Backwards...

Moving Forward Sometimes Means Looking Backwards...

I’ve heard it said time and time again, “you can’t move forward looking backwards.”  I beg to differ.  Sometimes, moving forward can mean looking backwards…

Steve Jobs adequately articulated this sentiment when he stated: “You can’t connect the dots looking

forward, you can only connect them looking backward.  So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

By no means am I advocating barricading oneself in the pain of their past and refusing to move forward, for instance, by forgiving someone or letting go of a daunting memory. 

I’m speaking about doing the, oftentimes, tough work of assessing, understanding and releasing your past in order to move positively and confidently into the next season or assignment that awaits you.

As I continue to navigate my way back2basics, I have gained greater insight into how the various  environments I spent time in over the years morphed me into an unauthorized version not part of God’s original design.

I recently made a commitment to proactively engage in my healing process in a few areas of my life.  I’m amazed at how clearly I am receiving answers to questions that never even dawned on me to ask in the first place.

How can one truly move forward in a healthy and functional way without first understanding the root cause (the how and why) of how you ended up where you to begin with?

A few things have really helped me bear mentioning…

• Shutting out life’s noise and the multitude of voices.  Deciding to quiet my life and allowing myself  

time to be alone with God and meditate in His presence to learn what is on His mind concerning me is one of the best decisions I’ve made.

God is speaking all of the time.  Sometimes we just don’t hear him because our life is too busy and both our internal and external noise is too loud.  Make it a priority to set aside time each day  to spend time in His presence, even if it’s fifteen minutes.   You won’t regret it!

• Establishing a properly rooted and well-grounded identity.  When we don’t know who we are, we can often find ourselves auditioning for and perpetually performing various character roles that can leave us feeling miserable, enslaved and lost.

We are empowered when we focus more on being our authentic self (the way God designed us) rather than doing what we think will establish our worth.  We are valuable because God said so.  Our value is never defined by meeting the demands of others for the sake of gaining their acceptance, approval or affirmation. 

• Learning and practicing new behaviors.  I’ve heard it said that right believing equates to right thinking, choosing and ultimately living.  There’s a bible promise that states we can be transformed when we renew our minds.  Transform here literally means transfigure or totally change your life from one state to the next.  

Do something different to see something different!  Embrace change.  Be willing to invest in yourself by getting educated through books or seminars and workshops.  Also, surround yourself with others on a similar path.  This would be a source of support and encouragement as you transform you’re your best you.  

Nothing is wasted in preparation…

On this leg of the journey, I feel like an arrow in the archer’s bow on the way to successfully hitting the bulls eye after a season submitting to the strategic and backward stretching that yields forward momentum.

Making forward progress on this leg of my journey back2basics…