Reflections – something in retrospect that makes us introspect. In front of a mirror the reflection is of yours; in the years that passed it’s that of yourself. New Year makes me nostalgic. While I greet the New Year, it’s with longing that I look at the previous– good, bad or ugly, we leave a legacy. That’s the past. Yesterday is history; it’s all memories; Past is past; Let bygones be bygones; you can’t rewind or reset the clock; The past comes back to haunt you; History repeats itself…….are we done describing ‘Past’ in whatever parlance or still some more left. Some of you might have few more to fill in but I am done with this description. A circle is the reflection of eternity. It has no beginning and it has no end – and if you put several circles over each other, then you get a spiral. ~Maynard James Keenan. You will appreciate this quote a with the narrative that follows. Just imagine, It’s a Friday and 6 in the evening and you are at your office, you are all set to pack and go home. The New Year is round the corner and you have promised your family of an early return and your kid is waiting and raring to buy the toys you promised. Your boss calls you to his room for a meeting. It was totally unexpected. What would be your feeling? Be candid. If I were you, I will be frustrated. The emotions would run high and I will be hurling curses within for interrupting at perhaps the oddest of hour. The boss announces “you have exceeded our expectations and rightfully deserve a reward. The company wished to sponsor an all-expenses paid trip to any destination of your choice to you and your family.” So now, what’s running in your mind? Notice the shift in your emotion – from terribly annoyed, you are thrilled at the prospect of a holiday at your will and wish. Just a minute back, you were cursing, but now it’s replaced with compliments. You embarked on your dream trip and enjoying your dream destination and now your holiday is about to come to a close and you are starting to pack your bags on to your way back home. What would be your feelings? Disappointed that you have to leave or yearning for an extension of the stay, hoping the holiday would still stretch? If you reflect on the experience went through, particularly those moments, it is all based on futuristic things. For tomorrow’s trip you are excited today and before meeting the boss, you are frustrated. If you really look at the turns of events, we, as humans are actually living in the future. All our current experience or the beingness is all created based on the future. Whatever we are doing now – the way we behave, interact, mindset and engagement is based on future. Through this narration, it is demonstrated that our current experience of feelings are based on the future but then what stops us many times is based on the events happened to us in the past, like I touched fire and burnt my finger, so never in my life will go near fire; I partnered with someone in a business, and the business bombed and never will I do business with that partner again or never start any business at all in future. Now, it looks like past is driving us! Because I did a business with partner and suffered losses, I hesitate to get into any venture – which implies that past is ruling me. While future is driving us, the past is ruling us. So the funda here is – the way we are is a reflection of the past. We, as human beings, are driven by what’s there in the future, but controlled by the past just because the past is sitting in the future. It’s true that past comes into the future naturally and that’s why the seers and sages advocate the purging (clear) of the past. Don’t bring that baggage of past into the future. Empty it. In the world of emptiness, everything is created. ‘Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I will meet you there.’ – Rumi I love this quote by a 13th century Sufi saint. That’s ‘nothingness’ – a large space where you can create whatever you want. The key is not letting the past play its role but it’s inevitable. What’s happened has happened, but the context is decisive. We have the power to go back to the past, change the context of whatever happened in an empowering way so that when it comes into the future, make it as your ally instead of adversary. It’s all in the mind. This process will set you free and help you to achieve whatever you want. Its for the losers to come out with lame excuses by exempting in the name of fate of derail themselves by blaming destiny. You cannot master your destiny but you sure can fight your fate. Cribbing about the past is of no avail. Conquering is all about overcoming the past. The past business could have bombed. But, the learning is no less than getting double MBA degree. The money lost is the experience gained. If we care about our future, it’s important to set the context right of the past undesirable event. It’s a positive and empowering in context, right! It might be easier said than done. I totally agree. “Good Judgment comes from experience and Experience comes from bad Judgments..!” It reminds me of Edison’s words when someone said that he failed 1000 times in the process of inventing a bulb. He responded, “No, I found 999 ways of how not to create a bulb”. Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action. ~ Peter Drucker image courtesy: www.gettyimages.in