I think I speak for most people when I say that we have all had something on our minds that has held us back from being able to move forward.
Whether this particular thing on our minds was a person, a job, or even something as simple as somebody cutting you off in traffic.
Whatever the thing is that is holding your thoughts back from being able to move forward is exactly what is going to keep you from being able to make genuine progress towards your mission in life.
The fact of the matter is, the more time and brain calories you waste on something you can no longer control, the more it is going to hinder your ability to maximize your opportunities, and hinder your optimization.
Whatever it is that is on your mind 24/7 that is keeping you from being able to fully serve your purpose is something that we all need to learn to move on from.
I am guilty of it just like anyone, even to this day.
I will randomly get thoughts of something that didn't go my way and I immediately get trapped in a wormhole of thoughts thinking about that one thing.
While I am still working on it, I am learning how to purposely redirect my focus onto something else that does actually serve my purpose.
The mind is a muscle and the more you can learn to grow it and feed it with the proper calories (thoughts), the more control you will have.
Whatever happened to you already happened.
There is no use or sense to continue to dwell on the matter because all dwelling does is serve as a distraction.
Oftentimes when we get caught up on dwelling over something, we think about what we could have done differently to prevent the thing from happening.
This has its place because in some regard, because it will allow you to look at the bigger picture and see what lesson is to be gained from the experience.
On the other hand, people will get caught up in only thinking about what they could have done differently and ultimately resolve nothing.
Self-reflection is an important aspect to all of our lives, but once the core of the problem has been established, that is when you know it is time to move on.
At that point, the experience is out of your control and the only thing that you can control at that point is your thoughts.
Learning to reflect and not dwell is the key to personal self-growth.
This is why pain and suffering could either make or break a person.
When one learns to reflect, they make sure to never repeat the same mistake that caused them to get the undesired outcome.
Sometimes, it takes a couple of times for the lesson to sink in, but once it finally does, the possibilities will be endless for what you will be able to accomplish.
Dwelling is poison to the mind and the more that you poison your mind, eventually it will begin to poison the body.
Think about it, what do people do when they are upset or depressed?
They look for vices!
Vices in the forms of stress eating, consuming alcohol or drugs, becoming restless which eventually throws off their entire sleeping schedule to the point that they wont even give their body a break because they wont allow their brain to relax.
We can see the negative consequences that come from allowing certain thoughts to linger longer than they should.
This is why the best thing that anyone can do when they find themselves in a situation of repeated negative thoughts is to go to work on something.
The more you can occupy your body and mind in a time of mental discomfort, the more you will be able to redirect your focus towards something that is productive and not destructive.
It isn't until we find time that is quiet or being alone that the dwelling thoughts can enter our minds and eventually consume it.
The best antidote to to negative thoughts is productive behavior.
Even if it is something as simple as reading a book, or going to workout.
We see many people in good physical shape that use working out as a source of being able to clear their minds, including myself.
When my day is full of work, there is no time for lingering thoughts to entire my mind - I just have to find something else to do to keep myself occupied.
Working on the ranch all day is full of tasks to keep my mind occupied, along with riding horses, writing my daily blog posts, getting my daily workout in, and getting my daily reading in before bed.
Sure, those thoughts still creep in when I have time to myself, but this is where learning to purposely redirect my thoughts takes place.
By maximizing the time you are given in a day to do things that are productive, the more you will inspire positive thinking and good behavior.
The more you excel at maximizing your day, the more you will open yourself up to learning something new, whether it be knowledge or a new skill.
This, my friends, is how to utilize leverage - maximizing each and every day with being able to produce something of value, whether it be for yourself or for others.
I will go on the record and state that the more you focus on being productive, the more value you will bring to others as a result.
You have to recognize when it is time to move on and accept whatever your dwelling on for what it is.
There is something to be learned from it if you are able to take a moment to reflect, but still carry on with your mission.