By Doug Strickel
It was the Spring of 1980, and I had just purchased my first car. It was a 1972 Cutlass and cost me $1200. I had saved $600 from my summer yard mowing business the prior years, and my grandmother gave me the other $600. I had a summer job lined up at a local gas station/garage that would provide me with funds for gas and liability coverage.
I obviously didn’t know much about what to look for in a vehicle. I just knew it started and appeared to drive ok. We finalized the deal, and I drove home. The next morning, I tried to back out of the parking place at our apartment complex, but the vehicle would not move. It drove fine the day before; however, I realized that I was moving forward in the test drive, not backward.
I put the car in neutral and pushed it out of the parking space and drove off going forward. For the next few months, I was limited to only going forward. I found pull-throughs or open areas to park. It wasn’t nearly as tough as it might sound.
Once summer arrived, and I started work at the gas station/garage, the guys saw my dilemma and offered to help. One slow afternoon, we put the car on the rack and changed the transmission fluid. It did the trick. The car would now go in reverse.
That car taught a very valuable lesson that I needed and have struggled with far too long. I need to continually look ahead and not be bound by the past. I need to focus on the windshield and not the rearview mirror. I need to focus on moving forward, not reliving where I have already been.
I bet that I’m not alone dealing with that issue. Far too many of us are bound and limited by things of the past that we just need to let go of in some manner. For some of us, it’s things we did that still haunt us, but if you are like me, it’s things we chose not to do. Sure, learn from the past, but be willing to move on when it’s time.
Here are some suggestions to help you move forward:
- Write down all those things in the past that continue to negatively impact you
- Identify the reason each one still bothers you (what you would do differently)
- Remedy what you can (make the call, send the note, take the action)
- For those you can’t change, identify what you will do differently going forward
- Tear up the list and dispose of it
That old Cutlass got me through high school. It got me to school, practice, ball games, and work. I went for a few days with limited breaking ability. I drove without A/C or heat for periods of time. The transmission was temperamental, and windows were often stuck in the down position. However, I will never forget forward only. What a lesson to remember.
Here’s to a new year moving forward!
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