Past future and present
The New Year is traditionally a time to take stock, to look forward, to make resolutions. Experience shows how useful or useless this tradition is. What I have found helpful is a three-stage process of
- Process the past
- Plan the future
- Action the present
If I live orientated towards the future, always making plans and setting goals, this diminishes past experience. It lessens the opportunity for learning and growth. It risks a cyclical pattern of repeating the same mistakes, however they may be camouflaged.
Conversely, for ever looking backwards – the golden era of “if only” – stifles advance and risk-taking which could prove highly rewarding. So learn from the past but don’t try to live there. And anticipate the future but don’t live there either – its time will come.
Hence action or manage in the present – for that’s all there is for certain. Therein lies authentic happiness – according to my latest reading from Martin Seligman (see the Bookstore or his website) . Moving deliberately away from its roots in pathology, Seligman promotes Positive Psychology with its focus on strengths rather than weaknesses. Doing for humans what Appreciative Inquiry attempts for organisations.
May 2008 be great and truly happy for you and yours!
