The purpose of this article is to encourage “newbies” in the note business, particularly. Yes, new note consultants, brokers, and finders who may be “looking back” over the past year and are discouraged or disillusioned, because things have not turned out as well as they expected, or worse yet, maybe did not turn out at all the way they had expected.  Perhaps goals were not achieved or benchmarks were not made in the manner they had expected or in accordance with the anticipated time frame.

A friend recently said to me “3 minutes is about all the time anyone should spend evaluating yesterday”.  In proportion, most people spend far too much time looking over their shoulder at what they couldn’t, wouldn’t, or shouldn’t do rather than looking ahead with anticipation to tomorrow.  There’s simply no value in rehearing past blunders, hashing over mistakes, and wallowing around in the guilt of yesterday.

Sure, there must be enough evaluation so that you can develop a Plan of Action for tomorrow and you “can’t have a plan of action, unless you know “where is “IS”.  But after you have spent the 3 minutes in evaluation…

GET UP, USE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED, SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS, MAKE ADJUSTMENTS, FINE-TUNE YOUR PLAN OF ACTION. THEN, TURN ABOUT-FACE AND “FOCUS ON YOUR FUTURE”.

It’s almost impossible to focus on the future and keep your eye on your goal when you’re continually looking over your shoulder.  Even if the problem turns out to be just a “boogyman” and not a real issue at all, it will slow you down.  In the Scripture, it is written that even Paul of Tarshish, after becoming the Apostle Paul exhorted us to “forget those things which are behind, and reach for the prize set before us”.  The same Scripture tells the story about the Children of Israel looking back and longing for the “leeks and garlic” in Egypt and ending up spending 40 years in the Wilderness, traveling only 11 miles going around in circles.  And, who can forget the story of Lot’s wife who “looked back” and turned into a Pillar of Salt!  Oh my!

As you “Focus on the Future” remember, there are two days in every week about which we should not worry.  Two days, which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.  One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares. Its faults and blunder, its aches and pains, yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate contrail.  Tomorrows may rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds. Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, as it is yet unborn.

This leaves only one day. Today.  Any man can fight the battles of just one day.  It is only when we add the burdens of those two awful eternities… Yesterday and Tomorrow, that we buckle under the load.

This article was modified from an article originally written by Roberta Standen and posted to this site on 2003/12/24.