“The key to being free from the stranglehold of past failures and mistakes is to learn the lesson and forget the details.”

A thought by John C Maxwell, (2013-10-08) from his book, Sometimes You Win--Sometimes You Learn: Life's Greatest Lessons Are Gained from Our Losses (p. 199). Center Street. Kindle Edition.

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But we usually do the opposite, we remember the details, rehearse, relive the details and don’t learn anything. Those failures, those mistakes take on a life of their own and we become them. And that is such a waist. 

I was listening to Mike and Mike on ESPN this morning.  And Mike Greenberg was dealing with identity.  He was talking about Mike Golic his radio host partner about his identity.  He thought that Mike Golic would probably think of himself more as a retired football player but who would be known more for his TV and Radio work.  But his identity was as a football player.

What about your identity?  Who would you say you are?  I am divorced.  I am a failure.  I am… What you say you are tells me where you are living.  Yes those mistakes, those failures are a part of your past but your past is past and it doesn’t need to define who you are.  It can be experiences that have made you the matured person you are today or they can be emotional baggage that weighs you down. 

John also says, “Learning from our mistakes is wonderful, but it means little if you don’t know how to turn the lesson into a benefit. That comes when we take what we’ve learned and apply it to our future actions.”

He also says, “Most of the time we don’t choose our adversity, but all the time we can choose our response to it. If we respond positively to difficulties, the outcome will be potentially positive. If we respond negatively to our difficulties, the outcome will be potentially negative.”

We all make mistakes but the greatest mistake we can make is to be controlled by them.  As the Apostle Paul says while sitting in prison in Rome, “the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead.” (Philippians 3:13 [GNB])  So learn what there is to learn and then move past it.

So where are you looking?