Earl Nightingale was a national radio personality who shared wise advice for living on his daily programs. He told a story about a distinguished physician who remarked that too many people spend their time and energy “watering last year’s crops.” By this he meant letting the past rob the present and the future. He strongly advised his patients to stop worrying and start living. Worrying about the past is a crippling condition everyone must confront and conquer.

Several thoughts came to mind in thinking on this statement. It is so difficult for us many times to let go of the past, focus on the present and hopefully look to the future. Many times out pattern of thinking gets caught up in majoring on the things we have done or should have done. These feelings can hinder us from living in the present tense. We cannot adequately live in the present, nor effectively face the future, when our thoughts are buried in the past. One of the best ways to break this pattern of thinking is to help others. So much time and energy are wasted in living by the philosophy of “What if?” rather than moving on to “What now?” It is important that we move on from the “paralysis of analysis,” or always analyzing and never acting on life’s situations.

It was George Washington who wrote: “We ought not to look back unless it is the derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting from past experiences.” Helen Keller said, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened to us.” Learning from the past, living in the present, and hoping for the future is a winning philosophy of life for everyone. Remember the words in Psalms and Proverbs: “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”––and––“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not onto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”





Dr. Curtis Coleman is Dean Emeritus at Athens State University.