Making the Best of It
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of how things turn out.” John Wooden
We’ve all heard it before: the past is in the past. Sometimes, the ways the past has unfolded isn’t to our liking. In turn, we are unhappy, we are bitter, and we ruminate – sometimes too long. Does constant rumination on the negative change anything? No. The only thing this is doing is hurting you. When you remain bitter about the past, you get stuck in a negative cycle that keeps you from living in the present and obsessing about what went wrong.
So how does one get out this negative cycle? Making the most with what you have also requires two other things… forgiveness and learning from your mistakes. First you must forgive. Forgive your past. Forgive others you feel that have wronged you. Forgive yourself. Next, acknowledge your mistakes and learn from them. If you don’t learn from them, it is a waste of your time.
Once you have made peace with the past, it will be easier to make the best of it. No matter how things might have gone in the past, be committed to living in the present. Be committed to being happy. Be committed to making the most with what you do have, not being upset with all of the things that you lack.
The last peace of the puzzle is gratitude. Be grateful for what you have, and good things will be attracted to you like a magnet. Thus, things turn out best for people who make the best of (and appreciate) what they have been taught in the past and what they have now.