The Past is Simply a Stepping Stone to Better Things

Posted on October 02, 2015 by Ulrike Berzau, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.

Recently, I had the opportunity to provide consultative work in New York and this month it’s Boston and Cincinnati. On the flight back from New York to the west coast, I was thinking about my past ups and downs. We all have them and I want to inspire you to look at it in a different way.

We all experience times when our business, career and income are not flourishing. We get discouraged and focus on what does not work. We ruminate on the past and what we could have done or said, or maybe not done or said, and we rarely think about what went really well in the past.

Have you felt like this and perhaps are stuck in a rut? It’s a great time to reflect on the opportunities you do have and make the decision to move forward.

Take Richard Branson’s, Founder and Chairman, Virgin Group advice: “My mother always taught me never to look back in regret but to move on to the next thing. The amount of time people waste dwelling on failures rather than putting that energy into another project, always amazes me. I have fun running ALL the Virgin businesses — so a setback is never a bad experience, just a learning curve.”

You might say, “Well that’s Richard Branson…,” but the truth is, we all have astounding abilities and infinite potential. Richard Branson, like other successful people, knows how to access it and they pursue their goal and vision with confidence, enthusiasm and persistence. They don’t dwell on the past. They look at setbacks as learning experiences and stepping stones. They appreciate and celebrate the successes and, most importantly, they stay focused on what they want to achieve.

Ask yourself – What can you learn today from your past to unleash your potential and move toward greatness? All self-development experts agree that whatever we put our attention on will grow. Make use of this and think about your past successes! The three word process is easy and powerful to give yourself and your business a big boost.

What is the three word process?

Three Success Words that will Inspire You … Always.
- Identify three words that remind you of what it is that made you the most successful in the past. Perhaps it is persistence, inspiration, learning, vision, passion.
- Write your three words down on small cards or notes and place them everywhere.
- Each time you see one of your Success Words, feel it, say it aloud and see yourself being it.
- Hold that image of you living your Success Word with joy and excitement.
- This is a powerful process to place your attention on what you want to recreate, nurture, advance, and grow in your future success.

“Your past success is a foundation into future success.” ~ Lailah Gifty Akita

Do you know what your three Success Words are? I would love you to share them with me. Feel free to post them on my Facebook Page – you never know when your words may help someone else discover their own.

Is Your Team Falling Out of Formation?

While dwelling on negative past experiences affect individual success, having one or more team members in your business who live in the past can be detrimental to the company’s success.

This is a common issue for organizations that are going through change, restructuring, mergers, and leadership realignments. A few team members are moving forward and others are holding on to the past. The team loses synergy and, therefore, effectiveness.

Team effectiveness is brilliantly illustrated by the example of Canadian geese flying in “V formation.” The flock of geese flies in V formation because, in this way, they can move faster and maintain a flight longer than any one goose flying alone. The flock actually experiences 70% more flying range than if each bird would fly on its own.

This principle also applies to powerful teams and organizations. People who are aligned and share a common direction can take the business to the next level much faster and much further.

If you want to realign and re-synergize your team, start with the Three Success Words exercise noted in the article above and identity the three words that made your company successful. Identifying the words and starting a renewed focus is as much as important as the process.

Finding the three words will increase your team member’s engagement, increase enthusiasm by remembering past successes, and identify those who might not be on the same page. It is a choice to work for a company or organization and you may want to ask your team members to recommit to the company direction and success or explore other options.

A peak-performing team, like the flock of geese, is aligned and all team members are going in the same direction – toward the goal. In this way, your company will flourish with increased employee engagement, goal achieving actions and exceptional results.