Stop Driving Backwards: A Hopeful Shift Toward Your Future

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
— C.S. Lewis

A new year arrives.
A year so many have been longing for — one packed with hope, anticipation, and the desire to leave the heaviness of the past behind.

2021

A fresh start.
A chance for “normal” to return.

And while flipping the calendar didn’t magically fix anything, it did something just as powerful:

It gave us hope.
And hope, in my opinion, is everything.

The Windshield vs. the Rearview Mirror

Imagine sitting in your car. Not going anywhere — just sitting in the driver’s seat.

In front of you is a massive windshield. Clear. Wide. Full of possibility.
Behind you is a tiny rearview mirror. Limited. Narrow. Often distorted.

Nobody would try to drive forward for miles while staring into the rearview mirror.
(And trust me, watching me try to back into my driveway old-school style? Popcorn-worthy.)

Yet that’s exactly how so many people navigate their lives — focused on what’s behind them instead of what’s ahead.

When the Past Runs the Present

Your past is a teacher, not a GPS.
It’s meant to inform, not direct.

But it’s easy to let older chapters determine:

• Your confidence

• Your choices

• Your hope for the future

• Your belief in what’s possible

For many, the past feels safer because it’s familiar — even when it’s painful.

But familiarity is not the same as truth.

Truth vs. Fear: Understanding Your Internal Barriers

Whatever barrier you’re facing — childhood messages, past failures, broken relationships, a collapsed business, or even longing for the pre-2020 world — there’s always a blend of:

Truth
and
Fear

If no part of it were true, your brain wouldn’t buy it.
But fear is often the louder voice.

As the classic acronym says:

F.E.A.R. — False Evidence Appearing Real

An Exercise to Help You Move Forward

Grab a piece of paper and make two columns:

TRUTH (What I know for certain)
FEAR (What I assume, worry about, or predict)

Be honest.
What belongs in each?

Then you get to choose your path:
Follow the fear — or follow the truth.

Neither option is effortless, but one leads to freedom.

Building Emotional Muscles Takes Practice

Just like physical strength requires reps, emotional strength requires repetition.

At first, separating truth from fear feels exhausting.
Over time, it becomes instinctual.

You won’t have to fight so hard.
Your new automatic response will be healthier.
And you’ll trust yourself in deeper ways.

You can do this — and you don’t have to do it alone.
I’m here to help.

When 2021 Starts With… an Oven Fire

Let’s be real for a moment.
My 2021 started with setting my oven on fire. Again.

No fire trucks this time, thankfully — but this was fire number seven.
At this point, we’re experts in extinguisher technique.

I could choose to see it as another negative kickoff…
or I can acknowledge that I still need cooking lessons and move forward.

Rearview mirror or windshield.
The choice is mine — just like it’s yours.

Choosing Your Adventure Ahead

This year will be different from 2020.
In what ways? Who knows.

But I do know this:

I choose to focus forward.
On the adventure ahead.
On the possibilities.
On the changes I want to create.

A new podcast.
New services.
New states.
New momentum.

The road ahead is where your life is happening.

Your past is behind you for a reason.

Which view will you choose?

If fear, perfectionism, or old beliefs make it hard to move forward, the Perfectionism Workbook can help you gain clarity, challenge internal barriers, and choose your next steps with confidence.

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