Don't Look Back
Don’t Look Back
“Go Jasmine!!” “You’re almost there!” I could see the finishline ahead of me and my teammate’s chants motivated me. I was only about 75meters away from the goal. I just wasn’t sure where my opponents were on thetrack. I knew I had passed one of them after the 200 mark. Its killing me tonot know where they are now so I looked back to see how far or close they were.The opponents were well behind me so I turned back around and finished the racewith as much power as I could muster. I won the race and as I was catching mybreath excited about the win, my coach walked up. “Coach Thrower what’s mytime?” I asked. He said, “You would havehad a personal record if you did not turn around.” I looked at him confusedwondering why I heard some attitude in his voice after I just got us firstplace points for the team.
He changed his demeanor then said, “You waste precious timewhen you look back because you have to refocus when you turn back around. Neverlook back, if your competition is close you will see or hear them. Trust yoursenses and remain focused on the finish line.” From that point forward, I letmy coach’s words resonate with me not only in my track career but in my life aswell.
As I made it a point to start the journey of wholeness andhealing in the last quarter of this year, I was faced with working through somuch of my past hurt, failures, rejections, and trials. In an effort to moveforward, I realized just how much I let that past hurt dictate my life. Ibecame desperate enough to want to change the way that I was living but I firsthad to learn once again the importance of not looking back.
Many of the fears that we have are attached to our past. Weare scared to take a step in a certain direction because we failed before. Itis hard for us to have faith for a situation that looks dim and in the pasteven when we had faith, it did not seem to work the way we wished it would. Wecannot seem to let go of our past heartbreak because every time we try whentriggered again, we are back at square one. I used these excuses in myconversations with God because I honestly did not know how to completely movepast all of this.
I was reminded of the advice my coach gave me. I realizedthat I was wasting precious time looking back. I could use that same time andeven gain more energy focusing on what’s ahead of me not what’s behind me.Because if I could just keep my eyes on the goal without worrying about what Ihave already went through, the race will be won. In the race, I had alreadypassed my opponents and although it took a lot for me to do so, they at the endof the race were still behind me and I ultimately was able to get the victory.I have to look at my life the same way. We have to trust that what is behind usshould remain there. When we take the time to look back, we dwell and rehearsethe same hurt over and over hoping to make sense of it. While clarity in ourlife is good, when we look back at things with the wrong heart we get ourselvesoff track. People always say that Hindsight is 20/20 and while I agree withthat, we have to be careful about what perspective we are viewing our pastfrom. It is not 20/20 if it’s blurred by your misconception of what has takenplace. Just as it took time for me to refocus back on the track when I turnedaround, you are stalling your progress on your journey constantly looking atwhat you could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve done.
I was giving my past too much credit. Though the experiencesmade me who I am today, I am not defined by the strife that I went through. Iam only defined by the strength they pushed out of me. The victory was alreadystarting to be gained when you survived it just as I moved past my competition.Every person I passed, victory and the goal of winning was closer. Just like inyour life, everything you survived, makes your purpose even closer and clearer.
As you are closing the end of this year and you are strivingto be the best you that you can be, do not hinder your progress by looking backat your past. Once your race is finished and after you are closer to yourpurpose, then and only then will you look back to see just how far you come andrevel in the victory that you made it another year. The past is just that,learn from it and push pass to get to the purpose that is set before you.
I finally listened to my coach and stopped looking back. Inot only reached a new Personal Record, I ended up holding the fastest recordtime in the county for my race. The possibilities are endless when we remainfocused on our goals and refuse to let our fears win. What new milestones canyou accomplish in your life if you let these 3 words resonate in your mind?
DON’T LOOK BACK!