Create Your Future With Your Future

Create your future with your future, not your past. Too many people create their future from the mistakes, failures, and pain of the past. You will change this.

You are not what you did. You are what you repeatedly do, and you will discover how to present your best version of yourself consistently.

Create your future with your future. Woman excited and thankful on mountain top.

Create Your Future: Break Free From the Past Through Future-Oriented Habits

We all have aspects of our past we wish we could change - failures that haunt us, mistakes we wish we could take back, and painful experiences we wish we could erase.

It’s easy to feel like your past has determined your present reality and that the course for your life is already set.

However, nothing could be further from the truth.

While you can’t alter the past, you do have the power to create the future you want rather than let old patterns hold you back.

As psychologist Dr. Janet Taylor of Columbia University explains, "What happened yesterday no longer exists. You have the opportunity every new day to make choices that can change the trajectory of your life."

By building intentional, positive habits and taking consistent steps in the right direction, you set yourself up for the successful, fulfilling future of your design.

Failing To Move Beyond The Past Limits Your Future

When we constantly dwell on past failures and prior roadblocks, it’s easy to reinforce a story in our mind that we are incapable of change and growth.

Author Brian Keane describes in his book Rewire Your Mindset how "Replaying your mistakes leads to fear of taking risks and creates stagnation."

The pain of past errors often causes individuals to avoid new challenges or opportunities, worried that they’ll just experience more failure.

Some common thoughts that keep individuals stuck in their past:

I’ve already failed at this before, so why try again?
Every time I put myself out there, I get hurt.
I just can’t seem to get it right.
My mistakes define me.

When focused on past failures, people miss seeing possibility for the future. They reinforce a static identity built on flaws versus potential.

Psychologist Amy Chen shares that "If we never challenged ourselves and stepped outside our comfort zone, we would miss our chance to grow into the person we want to become. The past cannot contain your amazing future unless you give it permission to."

Why The Past Does Not Dictate The Future

Create Your future with your future. Grounded woman running on beach.

The beautiful and scary thing about life is that humans have incredible capacity to learn, adapt, and change direction.

Every new day provides an opportunity to form different habits and make choices that lead down a positive path.

Just because you may have stumbled down a route before does not mean you are destined to keep heading that way.

It’s time to rewrite your internal GPS and daily routines to set your course for success.

"When we cut the crap and release crushed dreams, sadness, uncertainty and fear, we make space for vibrant health, purpose, confidence and joy to rush in. Sound good?" ~ Joanne Antoun, author

Cut the Crap: Heal Your Life, Live in the Present, Create the Future You Desire

You Have the Power of Personal Growth Inside You

"Personal growth comes when we refuse to let our past negatively shape our identity but instead use it as fuel to cultivate the life we hope to create," emphasizes psychologist Sandra Bradley.

Have compassion for yourself and all you’ve overcome, but recognize that you are not a static being.

You have layers of untapped potential within you waiting to unfold through intentional habits and behaviors.

Progress happens when you shift from an attitude of limitation to one full of hope and possibility for the future.

New Actions and Patterns Lead to New Results

Letting go of the stories you tell yourself based on past experiences is critical for creating forward momentum.

Sure, something may not have worked out well before, but that does not mean it cannot or will not in the future if you use the wisdom gained to adjust your approach.

Albert Einstein famously stated that "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." It’s time to break the cycle of insanity and shift gears.

Author Joanne Antoun, the therapist who wrote: Cut The Crap: Heal Your Life, Live in the Present, Create the Future You Desire, put it this way: "When we cut the crap and release crushed dreams, sadness, uncertainty and fear, we make space for vibrant health, purpose, confidence and joy to rush in. Sound good?"

Create your future. Man forming the habit of doing pushups everyday to get stronger.

The Power Of Habits And Repeated Actions

While one isolated action will not make or break your success, small habits performed consistently over time set the trajectory.

Therapist Amy Lewis explains, “We all have habits ingrained subconsciously directing how we talk, eat, love, work, exercise, manage emotions and more. Examining and reshaping habits consciously is the holy grail for shaping a life well lived.”

Tiny, Positive Actions Compound

The beauty of focusing on infinitesimally small, positive, manageable actions is that over weeks and months, they build into remarkable results.

For instance, writing just 200 words a day may seem insignificant, but do that daily for a year, and you will have written an entire book.

Tiny gains may not seem noteworthy at first, but when repeated, they are game-changing.

Consistency Matters More Than Intensity

When trying to ingrain a new habit, it’s more important to focus on frequency versus magnitude, especially early on.

You stand a better chance of establishing a regular pattern if you break larger goals into smaller pieces and just focus on maintaining consistency.

For example, committing to walk for 60 minutes daily may seem impossible some days but three 20-minute walks is much more reasonable long-term.

Habits Reinforce Each Other

Once you experience some positive momentum from establishing foundational habits like meditation, early morning exercise, or journaling, it becomes easier to stack additional habits over time.

Waking up early to workout energizes you to eat a healthy breakfast, which makes you more focused and productive at work.

The sense of accomplishment continues to build and raises your belief that you can achieve your goals.

create your future. Man with laptop consistently working on his blogging career.

Creating Your Best Future

If the idea of shifting your habits feels overwhelming, have hope and start small.

Lay the groundwork with the self-care basics, define your vision going forward, and lean into each new day with optimism, knowing progress compounds over time.

You truly hold the pen to script your life story – past failures and all.

Envision and Claim the Future You Want

Before diving into planning and goal setting, it’s important to get clear in your mind the future version of yourself you desire to grow into.

Envision how you want to feel, what daily life looks like and what experiences light you up.

As Lewis shares, “You stand the greatest chance of success when your habits serve your higher vision for yourself and the world.”

Allow some time for self-reflection around your untapped potential.

Audit and Adjust Current Habits

Start by looking at what habits and daily routines currently rule your life. Which patterns align with your growth vision and bring you energy? Which behaviors contradict what you hope to cultivate?

Consider which new tiny habits introduced consistently could start to nudge your ship in a new direction.

Enlist friends to support habit formation and accountability.

Progress Compounds With Consistency

Bask in the small wins and milestones realized.

Anchor in any evidence you are shifting and becoming who you wish to be. Even tiny gains reinforced daily signal your ability to author the story of your choosing.

Mistakes will happen amidst the growth process – expect them, learn, and recommit.

Progress over perfection rules the day on this never-ending journey of self-actualization.