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.That iswhy it is so important to gather up the lessons of the past andinvest them in the future.If we can establish that kind of intelligentapproach to the past, we can dramatically change the course of thenext twelve months.Each of us will be somewhere in the nexttwelve months; the question we must ask ourselves is where?Developing a new philosophy about the past is the key tochanging our current attitude.Until we have finally accepted thefact that there is nothing we can do to change the past, our feelingsof regret and remorse and bitterness will prevent us from designinga better future with the opportunity that is before us today.How effectively we use the present is largely determined by ourattitude about the past.Until we amend our philosophy, we cannotrepair our attitude.And if we cannot repair our attitude, our futureis going to be filled with the same sense of regret and remorse andbitterness that currently has us by the throat.We cannot moveforward into a brighter future until we have closed the door on thedarkness of the past.The PresentThe current moment is where our better future begins.Thepast gave us a wealth of memories and experiences, and the presentgives us a chance to use them wisely.34 The present brings us an opportunity to create an excitingfuture.But the promise of the future demands that we pay a pricein the present.The opportunity of the current moment must beembraced or the rewards of the future will be withheld.Our goals and ambitions of the past are bringing to us presentrewards.If our current rewards are small, then our past effortswere small.And if today s effort is small, the future reward will besmall as well.Today brings to each of us 1,440 minutes; 86,400 ticks of theclock.Both the poor and the wealthy have the same 24 hours ofopportunity.Time favors no one.Today merely says, Here I am.What are you going to do with me? How well we use each day islargely a function of attitude.With the right attitude we can seizethis day and make it a point of new beginning.Today does not careabout yesterday s failures or tomorrow s regrets.It merely offers thesame precious gift -- another 24 hours -- and hopes that we will useit wisely.The greatest opportunity today brings with it is theopportunity to begin the process of change.Today -- the present --is the moment when we can inaugurate our new voice coming intopower.It can be a new change of mind -- a new attitude adoptedabout who we are, what we are, what we want and what we aregoing to do.Today can also be exactly like yesterday, and the daybefore, and the day before.It is all a question of attitude.The FutureOur attitude about the future is also of great importance.Intheir classic, Lessons of History, Will and Ariel Durant wrote: To endure what is, we must remember what was, and dreamof things as they will one day be. Our attitude about the future depends on our ability to see thefuture.Each of us has the inherent ability to dream, design andexperience the future through the power of an imaginative inner-eye.Whatever the mind has the capacity to imagine, it also has theability to create.35 Just as the body instinctively knows how to perform themiracle of health, the mind instinctively knows how to perform themiracle of wealth.All Things Must Be Finished Before They Can Be StartedEverything in the world around us was finished in the mind ofits creator before it was started.The houses we live in, the cars wedrive, our clothing, our furnishings -- all of these things began withan idea.Each idea was then studied, refined and perfected, eithermentally or on paper, before the first nail was driven or the firstpiece of cloth was cut.Long before the idea was converted into aphysical reality, the mind had clearly envisioned the finishedproduct.The human being designs his or her own future through muchthe same process.We begin with an idea about how the future willbe.Over a period of time we refine and perfect the vision.Beforelong, our every thought, decision and activity are all working inharmony to bring into existence what we have mentally concludedabout the future.This is why having the right attitude about both past andpresent circumstances is so important.When we have a healthyattitude about the past and constructive feelings about ourselvesand our present opportunities, we subconsciously guide ourselvestoward the achievement of our dreams.However when we are filledwith regrets about the past and concerns about the present, thenwe subconsciously lead ourselves toward a future that is very muchlike the past we have just left behind.The thoughts and feelings we allow ourselves to have today arecrucial, for they are contributing to our future.What that futureholds will simply be a mirror image of our current philosophy andattitude about life.Designing A Better FutureThere is a very special emotional magic that takes place whenwe design the future and set new goals with a specific purpose inmind.As we see the future clearly in our mind s eye we experience a36 level of excitement in anticipation of the day when all that we dreamwill become a reality
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