disappointments Archives - Michael A. Verdicchio

Happy St Patrick’s Day! Saint Patrick is of course the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland. It began as a purely Catholic holiday and became an official feast day in the early 1600s. However, as you and I know, it has gradually become more of a secular celebration of Ireland’s culture. So whether you are Irish or not, enjoy the day!

What Are Your Limits?

How much potential do we really have? Is there a point in life when we can just say, “I’ve reached my limits, that’s all I can do?” Or, can we continue to grow?

Did you hear about Marion Jacobson? She published her second children’s book a couple of years ago. So, what’s so unusual about that? Plenty of people write books. But, on the other hand there are lots of people who want to write a book, but never do. Marion finished her second book at the tender age of 95.

Then there’s Verne Oliver. She joined the Gilder Foundation as its associate director, using its grants to create or renovate more than 100 elementary school media centers across New York City. She was very involved in putting the finishing touches on two school libraries. Oh, and by the way, Verne joined the Gilder Foundation when she retired in 1987 and at age 85.

Lot’s of people saw Lillian Cox, of Tallahassee, Florida on TV. She must really have places to go and people to see. Perhaps that’s why a couple of years ago she renewed her drivers license when she was 101.

Are You Really Too Old?

There are dozens and dozens of stories like these. And I’m not saying that you should write a book or drive a car at age 100. Although I know there are people who would say that at that age you are too old. And while Marion may not make the best sellers list, and Lillian will never drive at the Indy 500, they decided to live life to the fullest!

As long as you are alive there are things that you can learn and things you can do! You can learn and grow; you can reach out, discover, and expand your life! When the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright was asked near the end of his career which of his buildings was his favorite, he replied, “My next one!”

On the other hand, many people have just stopped living and are doing little more than existing. They have become complacent and are just settling for the way life is. They lack excitement and enthusiasm for life.

Far too many people have stopped hoping and dreaming. Although that is what they have chosen to do, it doesn’t mean that they have run out of potential.

What Do You Believe About You?

A lot of people today really believe that their best days are behind them. That is what they choose to believe. But why not expect that your best days are in front of you? Thinking that way is also a choice. God gave us free will to think whichever way we choose to think. The startling reality is that we will reap the results of those choices.

One of the reasons people have chosen to stop dreaming is because of past failures or disappointments. Because of what happened in the past, they are afraid of doing or trying anything new. They just play it safe, stay comfortable and settle.

The truth is that many, many successful people have had many, many disappointments. But they refused to carry a failure mind set. They just continued to reach forth to another new endeavor. It’s a good thing Abraham Lincoln didn’t stop living life after a disappointment or two, or three, or four!

Many people pray to God and ask for open doors. But seldom do they get up and grab the doorknob to see if it opens! And, if they do, and it doesn’t open, so many times then they give up.

Don’t Give Up! Try Another Door!

If you are reading this article then your life is not over! There are things to discover; there are things to learn. What are you waiting for?

The only valid limits that you have in your life are the ones that you have accepted.

Just ask George Dawson who had his book published at age 101 titled, “Life is So Good.” Before he wrote his book, George decided he’d better learn to read first, so he took an adult literacy class when he was 98 years old! And, yes, he finally got his GED at the age of 103.

Michael A. Verdicchio
2010

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Life Is So Good by George Dawson

Getting ready to drive off in my wife’s car the other day, I checked and adjusted her mirrors. I first adjusted the side mirrors and then finally the rearview mirror. And suddenly, it dawned on me.

Ever notice how much smaller the rearview mirror is than the windshield?

Of course I realize that this is not some startling new discovery. Anyone who drives knows that the rearview mirror is much, much smaller than the windshield for very obvious reasons.

But as I sat there before I drove off, I wondered just how fast and how far you could drive if the windshield was the size of the rearview mirror, and the rearview mirror was the size of the windshield!

Not An Idea For GM!

No, I am not losing my mind with a wild brainstorm idea for General Motors! I car-little-blue am trying to make a point. We all know that the reason the windshield is so much bigger is because the road ahead of us is so much more important than the road behind us. We need to see and focus clearly on as much of the road ahead as we can.

This is so true in living life. Where we are going in life is so much more important than where we have been. Yet far too many people are living in their past. They live day to day staring into their rearview mirror with all their focus and attention on what happened to them in the past, instead of looking forward to the future.

What’s In Your Past?

People are living with regrets, guilt, shame, disappointments and discouragements resulting from things in their past. Many people go around feeling sorry for themselves. Some are living with anger or seek revenge from being hurt. Regardless of what has happened or how they feel, they all have one thing in common: they are all starring into their rearview mirror.

What is there in your past that you can change? Absolutely nothing. What great profit is it to spend your time and mental focus on the past? There is none. Even if there were some really fantastic things in your past, they are all still in the past.

Some people are still trying to live back in the “good ol’ days,” back when their lives were so much better. They think about it and relive a happier time without all the stress or hardships that they face now. Doing that is still looking into the rearview mirror!

The Way To Move Forward Is To Move Forward!

Yes, there are disappointments in life, some small, and some not so small. But if you are going to move forward with your life, you have to put your eyes on what is ahead. As you drive your vehicle, you not only see the road immediately in front of you, but you can also see a good ways up the road.

So why not do that with your life? Stop dwelling on the past. Stop reliving it over and over and over. Stop talking about it. It is over with and there is nothing that can change what has happened in the past.

Of course, there may be circumstances that you have to deal with as the result of something that has happened in the past. Take care of those, but then be determined to move forward.

Confidence In God

The Bible talks about forgetting those things which are in the past. That means that it is a freewill choice to let go of the past. We can choose to look forward or to look backward.

When you are driving your vehicle, you can’t get very far without running into something if you’re constantly looking into the rearview mirror. I don’t recommend trying this! And neither do I recommend doing it with life either.

road-rainbow If you want to have confidence in God, take your focus off of the past. If you have read “My Story,” then you know I have done this numerous times in my life. And I know it’s not always easy. But I also know it’s the only way to move forward.
If you want to move forward with your life, then stop looking back, ask for God’s help, and keep looking and moving forward.

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Did you find this article helpful? Do you have a comment about letting go of the past? Has forgetting the past helped you to move forward? I love to hear your thoughts, just type them in below.

Mike Verdicchio

Michael A. Verdicchio

Tag Archives: disappointments

What Are Your Limits?