Don’t Dwell on the Past – Love it and Move On

Embrace Your Precious Present and the Fantastic Future

Your better future depends on your present… on the choices you make and the actions you take, beginning with your thoughts. Don’t dwell on the past. Instead, focus on improving the present by setting goals and working them daily and it will truly change your life for the better.

Dwell Meaning

The meaning of dwelling is residence, a place where you live. To dwell is to live in a place, so dwelling, is the place where you live. Dwell, can be to live in a place physically, or, to live in a state of mind or emotions, mentally.

Don’t Dwell on the Past

No one really wants to live in the past, and yet so many do. To dwell on the past is to live in the past in the present. It’s hard to create a wonderful future by living in a time that no longer exists. It’s hard to move on and grow when we’re not moving upward and onward.

Don’t live in the past. Don’t get stuck and chained to what happened to you, on who wronged you, or the fails that collapsed you. To dwell in the past is to blight your present happiness and rob yourself of a fantastic future.

More than that, you don’t even want to get stuck on your past wins. Appreciate all the things in the past for the good and the lessons, for we grow stronger through struggle, but whether good or bad, to dwell in the past is to drive by the rearview mirror. Bring the best memories with you but don’t let them define you.

We’re not defined by who we were in the past. Our life is defined by who we are each day, regardless of the past.

To dwell on the past is to deprive yourself of every opportunity in your present to create a better future.
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®

Doing Over Dwelling

Forward momentum will pull you out of the doldrums of the past and place you in a more dynamic present toward a better future. Take positive action toward your future.

Just for Today

Even if all you can muster for now is to start with how you wish to feel about what you’ve accomplished by day’s end, do that. Do it first, if at all possible, without hesitation, equivocation, or procrastination. Don’t dawdle. Do.

Use Mel Robbins‘ 5 Minute Rule.

Tussling With Tech

This past week of has been one of boku* tech problems resulting in multiple websites down off and on and for extended periods. That’s been frustrating, of course. But I don’t believe in dwelling in what isn’t and in the negatives. 

*Slang for the French ‘beaucoup‘.

In fact this website is basically “under construction” as this is being written in the beginning of June, 2021. It’s still a mess with pages not showing up and fields and fonts askew. The previous site them was no longer working, so this because the best time to make the changes I had been putting off.

What happened was the equivalent of me ignoring ailing signs that should’ve been warnings to heed sooner before it started collapsing. Much like our physical health and how we keep putting off until another day, changes we should make today. The majority of people only make the changes after they become ill. Many, sadly, won’t even make them then.

We know of three in our small neighborhood who died rather than make changes. And indeed, that is the finding of a Harvard study.

You can read a couple more quotes and info in this article titled ‘Don’t Wait‘.

In a Harvard study on disease versus lifestyle change, 6 out of 7 patients chose not to.
~Harvard study in Immunity to Change

Dwell Not

I used to dwell A LOT, but I’ve learned how not to dwell on — and in — negatives. Dwelling on negatives serves nothing and distresses much.

What unlocks entry into that peaceful place… the secret garden of the soul, is gratitude, love, forgiveness and compassionate, empathic understanding.

Waste Not The Precious Present

Waste has always been anguishing for me. I remember getting severely chastised as a child of about five, for picking a sandwich out of the trash. A much older cousin had blithely tossed into the trash as he passed by, even though it just had two bites out of it. It was right there on the top of not-dirty kind of trash, and I just couldn’t imagine why he would toss it and let it go to waste, so I was going to eat it.

Of course the adults were aghast at the thought of me “dumpster diving” as it were, so their concern was also understandable. Although even at that young age I recall wondering why I got in trouble for trying to save it and he didn’t get in trouble for wasting it. 🤔😜

As I’ve gotten older and more cognizant of how precious and non-renewable time is, wasted time is especially frustrating. But I’m getting better at that as well. So after my 5 minute rant at the loss of time from the tech issues, I accepted what was, and began to register benefits in the disruption to the usual flow. I focused on finding the good in the bad, for after all, what we focus on, grows.

The Way Out

The way out of dwelling in the past and the negative is through appreciation for the precious present. For this is still a blessed moment in time to be alive, aware and able to transform any negative thought. I stepped back to reflect on what could be gained in this “gap”.

The Obstacle is the Way

If you haven’t yet read the book by this title: The Obstacle is the Way, by Ryan Holiday, I highly recommend it. The title says it all, but the book is highly elucidating. The way out is through the obstacle.

Obstacles – a Cause to Pause

Obstacles are an opportunity to slow down, take stock and course correct as needed. Sometimes we get in a rut without even being aware that we’re in one. Other times, we’re so fervently pursuing our goals that we forget to come up for air and assess if we’re rightly focused and on the right track.

A disruption to our plans is an opportunity to come up for air and assess the lay of the land and determine if we’re on track. Delays, detours and inconveniences give us cause to pause and reflect, and provide an opportunity to practice gratitude.

Ryan Holiday has written an entire profound book, titled The Obstacle is the Way, and I highly recommend it for illuminating encouragement to see you through any difficult time.

So, in between my time on tech support, I’ve also been using that as a time for self evaluation as well as tweaking and course correcting as needed relative to our brands, business and vision. It’s a time for mountain top reconnaissance.

“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.”
~Thomas Merton, Trappist monk, AKA Father Louis, writer, theologian, poet, 1915-1968

Don’t Dwell Quotes

Action and Quotes on Dwelling

“Do the thing you need to do first, if at all possible, without hesitation, equivocation, or procrastination. Don’t dawdle. Do, and it will empower you and make you stronger.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®

If you actually spent your time doing instead of dwelling, you’d be much further along.
~Gary Vaynerchuk, Russian-American magnate, author, b.11/14/1975

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
~Gautama Buddha

Happiness and Dwelling Quotes

“To dwell in the past is to blight your present happiness and rob yourself of a fantastic future.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®

Failure and Dwelling Quotes

“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.”
~Johnny Cash, singer, songwriter, musician, actor, author, 1932-2003

“Don’t live in the past. Don’t get stuck and chained to what happened to you, on who wronged you, on the fails that collapsed you.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®

Future – Dwell on Your Future!

“To dwell on the past is to deprive yourself of every opportunity in your present to create a better future.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®

The number one thing that fascinates me about people is they take the past and give it so much credit and they underestimate the current and the future. 
~Gary Vaynerchuk, Russian-American magnate, author, b.11/14/1975

Gratitude and Quotes on Dwelling

“What unlocks entry into that peaceful place… the secret garden of the soul, is gratitude, love, forgiveness and compassionate, empathic understanding.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®

“The way out of dwelling in the past and the negative is through appreciation for the precious present.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®

Momentum and Don’t Dwell Quotes

“Taking positive action toward your future. Forward momentum will pull you out of the doldrums of the past and place you in a more dynamic present toward a better future.”.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®

Negativity and Dwelling

“Dwelling on negatives serves nothing and distresses much.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®

Opportunity Vs. Dwelling

Every morning brings new potential, but if you dwell on the misfortunes of the day before, you tend to overlook tremendous opportunities.
~Harvey Mackay, businessman, author, columnist, b.1932

Optimism and Dwelling Quotes

“Either you’re dwelling and looking backward, or you’re optimistic and looking forward.”
~Gary Vaynerchuk, Russian-American magnate, author, b.11/14/75

The Past and Dwelling Quotes

“If you constantly dwell on the past that’s where you end up living.”
~Simon Weston, British Army veteran, burn survivor, b.8/8/1961

Solutions and Quotes on Dwelling

“Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward
toward finding the answer.”
~Denis Waitley, motivational speaker, author, b.1933

“Every second you dwell on the past you steal from your future. Every minute you spend focusing on your problems you take away from finding your solutions.”
~Robin Sharma, leadership expert, author, b.6/16/1964

Thoughts – and Why What You Dwell on Matters

“What you think, you become.
What you feel, you attract.
What you imagine, you create.”
~Gautama Buddha

Don’t dwell on the past. Move on into your incredible future!

Top feature image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay