You Don’t Have To Go Back To The Past To Change Your Future

If you had a chance to go back into time, would you?

Many people relive various events in their lives. When reflecting on our lives, we tend to go back to a point in time when we think that everything changed. We tell ourselves, “If I had handled that situation differently, my life would be so much better right now.” The truth is that you don’t know that for sure.

In fact, if you had responded to that situation in an ideal way, your life may not be better at all. Your life might actually be worse.

The universe is filled with, “ripple effects.” Every action affects every other action. You might be upset that you didn’t get the job that you wanted. However, if you had gotten that job, you may have been required to travel on a plane that crashed, which would have caused you to die at an earlier age. You may be upset that you broke up with your boyfriend or girlfriend. However, if you had stayed with that person, you may have missed out on a relationship with a partner who is better suited for you. You might go to the mall tomorrow, and meet your soulmate. However, if you choose to stay in the house and cry about your ex, you will never find that out, will you?

I recently watched the movie Project Almanac. The characters in the movie built a time machine, and used the time machine to go back into time. When the characters went back into time, their futures changed. Their actions had created a ripple effect, causing them to live in an alternate reality. They kept going back into time to relive events that were unpleasant, in order to make their futures better. However, each time they returned to the present, they became increasingly more confused.

In their efforts to make everything better, they actually made everything worse. Due to their frequent ventures to the past, they became more and more unaware of what was happening in the present. Every time they returned to the present, they did not know what was happening, because they were never living in the moment. Their actions kept creating alternate realities, until they eventually did not know what reality they were living in anymore. This concept was also illustrated in the classic movie, Back To The Future.

People tend to do what the characters did in their minds. They spend so much time thinking about the past or future, that they aren’t paying attention to what is happening now. They are never living in the moment. The truth is that humans were not made to time travel. Life is filled with unpleasant events. We will suffer, regardless of the exact events that occur.

We cannot escape suffering. We must face the consequences of our actions with courage. If we want to make our futures better, then we need to do so in the present moment.

The events that happened in the past are irrelevant, because as long as you are still living, you can change your life. All we really have is the present. As the old saying goes, “The present is a gift.” Use the gift of the present to change your life. While it is normal to reflect on past events, and prepare for the future, it is unhealthy to never live in the present moment.

If you do not focus enough on the, “here and now”, then you will eventually lose your mind. The events of your life will unfold in a beautifully imperfect way, and that’s okay. Do not let setbacks from your past, prevent you from living your life today. Keep moving forward with your life. Your future may surprise you.