In hindsight, all of us are wise. The key is to learn from
experiences and not either cling on to grief or guilt.
A recent
issue of TIME magazine carries an
interview with ace golfer Tiger Woods. Lorne Rubenstein asks him: “Your private Life was exposed in 2009. What would you have
done differently?” And Woods replies: “In hindsight, it’s not how I would change 2009 and how it all came
about. It would be having a more open, honest relationship with my ex-wife. The
relationship that I have now with her is fantastic. She’s one of my best
friends. We’re able to pick up the phone, and we talk all the time. We both
know that the most important things in our lives are our kids. I wish I would
have known that back then.”
Woods
nails it. It is very important to pause, reflect and internalize what you can
learn from a past – any – experience. With reflection, and introspection, grief
and guilt may arise. But you must develop the ability to stay detached from
these debilitating emotions. You must look at your own Life – and the past –
dispassionately. Ask yourself if there is any point in brooding or feeling
angry and guilty? There really isn’t! Once you realize the futility of
harboring these emotions, you let them go. This does not mean you don’t either
feel them or don’t learn from them. You will feel them. And you can learn from
them. But just don’t get bogged down by them!
The past always teaches you – something about you and about
Life! The past can also hold you hostage. It is up to you whether you want your
past be your teacher or your captor!
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