It’s a new year, and as the old saying goes, “Out with the old and in with the new.”
My question to you is: Will you make the smart and bold decision to make that your career mantra in 2012?
Your Past is Hurting You
Why do we hold on to the past? Especially, when it comes to our careers? I am constantly amazed at how many unhappy professionals cling to the events of their past as some type of cast-in-stone career story. More importantly, these same folks assume the past now has some hold over their future.
Wrong. Here are four reasons why you should throw out your past right now!
Reason #1 – So You Can Stop Letting it Control You
Your past only affects your future when you let it. If you are going to assume things can’t be changed or improved because of what’s happened in your career, well then, give up now. The reality is people change the course of their careers every single day… and it starts with not assuming the past controls the future. Just ask J.R. Martinez.
Reason #2 – If You Don’t, Others Will Beat You
When you cling to past glories and achievements, you give other folks who are smart enough not to rest on their laurels a chance to pass you. Just ask Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable.com. In this article, he makes a brilliant quote:
“I don’t have any personal challenges about throwing away the past. If you’re not changing, you’re giving others a chance to catch up.”
Reason #3 – The Story You Tell isn’t Accurate
As humans, we interpret our past based on our feelings and viewpoints. We rationalize, and in some cases, irrationalize what happened as a way to justify the experiences. In short, we see what happens to us in a very biased way – and that means the career stories we tell in our heads about the past aren’t necessarily accurate.
Let’s face it: We all have at least one story in our professional past where we feel we were the victim. And you want to know something? That’s the story holding you back from making progress.
Why?
Because it’s the bad stories we remember as painful that dictate our actions. As humans, we are conditioned to avoid pain. So, in an effort to do so, you stop taking chances and making bold moves because you don’t want history to repeat itself. And yet, if you read The Flinch by Julien Smith, you’ll learn running from pain is exactly what’s keeping you miserable.
Which leads to the most important reason you should dump your past ASAP…
Reason #4 – It Frees You Up to Write a New-and-Improved Version
In my experience, it’s better to let the story go so you can free yourself up to write a new, better story in the future. As a career coach, a big part of my job is to help people make peace with their professional past. I have to get them to let go of their career story so we can move forward without roadblocks.
Trust me. Hanging on to the past is like having a big rope tied around your waist – and the other side of the rope is tied to an elephant. You won’t be going anywhere fast in your career until you untie yourself.
J.T. O’Donnell is the founder of CAREEREALISM.com and CEO of CareerHMO.com, a web-based career development company.
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6 Comments
So how do you let go of the past on a resume? By doing a results resume instead of a chronological?
Very good article with truths to live by, we can all add these reasons of letting go to our daily lives. Carrying the past is like dead weight when we free ourselves of its clutches we actually look, feel and act differently, it can take years off your life I know the past is a reminder where weve been & somethings we may never forget, like a scar, but sometimes its an enabling excuse and thats when it needs to be thrown out.
Thank you.
It is absolutely to purge the past. I find it best to purge each week at the weeks end. I actually sit down with a pen and paper or electronic media and note all the important things I must revisit from the prior week, then let all the unnecessary brain clutter flow down the drain. If a day is particularly stressful I will purge at days end so that my rest is peaceful.
I agree. This is a really good article. I’m still trying to disentangle from my particular elephant, but this is great advice, and I feel good about 2012.
I really love this article! Learn from the past, but never be a prisoner of it.
Definitely, it always pays to let bygones be bygones. However, one should always be ready to learn from the mistakes of the past. “Out with the old and in with the new” seems to be a really good mantra for the new year.
Thanks for sharing!