If not handled carefully, the past has the ability to hinder future progress. It is most important to realize and understand that the past does not have to be your future. If we sit back and do nothing to change what is happening today, inevitably occurrences of your past will creep into your future. Everyone goes through phases of difficult times in their lives. All of us also have an option on how we want to let these incidents affect our ability to move forward. If we fail to take responsibility for ourselves and play the blame game, unfortunately things will not change for the better. We have to make a personal decision to consciously want to make a better and brighter future for ourselves and those who depend on us.

It all comes down to the ability to set goals, and then identify where you want to go. That has to be the starting point of any future transformation we want to see in life. Simply saying, I hope the next five years of my life will be better than the last, and doing nothing to make them better, will not yield any positive results. Yet, how many of us actually take time out to sit and chart a plan about where we want to go in life and what we want to achieve.

Setting goals and sticking to them is a great challenge. It requires patience, persistence, commitment and faith in our ability to achieve what we have set out to get. In order to get on the right track, we have to shake ourselves free from the clutches of our past, take responsibility for our actions and chart a path for the future. The sooner you do that, the faster you will start to achieve the things you aspire to and get on track to living a fuller and happier life.