Peace of Mind
Personal Success Begins with You
Of the millions of people all over the world, one would not think that you would be able to sum the majority up within three groups. When in regards to financial, social, and personal freedom, however, there is exactly that, three individual groups. Yes, you are a member of one of these groups. Civilization as a whole can be broken down to those who live in the past, those who live in the future, and those that live for today. Each of these has its’ pros and cons, and each one of them will prevent you from being your best. The past, the present, and the future will each one, individually, prevent you from reaching your utmost potential. Each factor will attack you in the area of your peace of mind, preventing you from reaching your goals.
These concepts are well armed with the very devastating and corrupting weapons of anger, doubt, regret, and fear to name a select few. There are many other negative emotions involved, but these are the hierarchy. To successfully find the peace of mind required in actively maximizing your full potential you must overcome each of these. To win this battle, you must first know what you are up against.
The Chains of The Past
“The first requirement is peace of mind - freedom from fear, freedom from anger and freedom from guilt.” -Brian Tracy, The Psychology of Achievement
First, we have the past. This is the reign that holds the majority of us back. Each and every one of us has a point in our past that we are not proud of. This could be a bad relationship, a bad decision, or pretty much any negative factor that keeps our hearts hard and our attitudes angry. It is vital that you see that this is nothing more than an anchor for you. As much as it might feel good to hold a grudge against someone, or at the very least feel like they deserve it, the only person that is suffering for it is you. In essence you are punishing them by beating yourself. Let go of the past and move on. Learn from it, but do not let it tarnish your peace of mind. The past is for experience. Hold that aspect of it and none other.
The Prison of Today
The present can also be a major wall for your success in life. Those of us that live only in the present life live for every second of every day as it happens. We are out for the thrill of life as it happens. We don’t worry about what we did yesterday or what we will do tomorrow. While this does certainly sound like a great lifestyle, it can hurt your peace of mind in the long run. Eventually this kind of attitude will lead you to a very narrow road. When we live only for the moment, we are not taking into account the long-term effects of what we do. This usually ends up with a lot of regrets and mistakes. Regrets can eat at you for years to come. Those who live only in the present usually end up being those living in the past.
Fixated on the Future
Then we have the ever-popular future focused individuals. These are driven people. They have their entire lives already planned out from the start. They know where they will go to college, when they will graduate, any in between jobs, how their career will progress, and when they will retire. These individuals are strong-willed and have their eye on the future. Unfortunately, again, these individuals generally end up living in the past in the long run. The usually do reach their goals, but then they end up looking back at all they missed in their lives, and regret comes again. They look upon the family that they never had time for, the vacations they never took, and all the important people in their lives that mattered, but that they just did not notice. Their eyes were on the ball, but nowhere else.
The Happy Medium
When you are seeking peace of mind, you have to overcome the barriers of allowing yourself to become a mainstay in one of these categories. Instead of living in the past, the present OR the future, give a little bit of yourself to all. Take the best qualities of each and make them a part of your existence. Take the lessons of the past, but leave the grudges, anger, and regret behind. Take the excitement of the present, but use wisdom and consider the consequences of your actions. Have a plan for the future, a goal that will leave you very financially well off, but remember that money isn’t everything. It helps, but the value of a loving family is priceless. If you can implement all of these in your life, then you can lead a happy existence, free of guilt, and full of potential!
