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Don’t Let Yesterday Take Up Too Much Of Today: This quote is all about regrets and moving forward in life. Although yesterday is real and we can remember most of it, it still is not a place where we live. Our life is in the present moment; if yesterday takes too much of it, our present and future will suffer. In the same principle, our past failures or successes are only events in time. They are long gone. How will that change our present or future unless we act on it?

Given a chance, our yesterday influences the entirety of today. But yesterday is the past. It cannot mean more than that. If we let it affect us too much, we lose our innate ability to treat problems afresh. We are constantly looking backwards instead of moving forward. That doesn’t help anyone. The moral of this quote from Will Rogers is to treat every problem on its own merit. Don’t let the baggage of yesterday influence what happens today.

Don’t Let Yesterday Take Up Too Much Of Today – Will Rogers

We have a common problem with the past. We tend to remember the pain of the past with intensity. Unfortunately, this blurs our view of the world. The problem we face is when this experience of the past prevents us from embracing the current moment. The current moment is the most precious thing that we have. If the past impacts this moment – then all is lost. This is the central meaning of the quote – don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.

Today is a precious gift as Mother Teresa says – Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow has not yet come!. What’s gone is gone, we can’t do anything about it. Also, we can’t keep thinking about how it will influence the future. Our past has contributed to what it is today. But if we let it continue to influence the future, then we are being the prisoners of the past. This is one of the worst places to be.

As Will Rogers alludes, don’t fall into this common trap. Yesterday will take up too much of today if we let it. This will take conscious effort if we need to free ourselves and stop being the prisoners of the past. The history is a wonderful story but that’s all it is. It cannot be an explanation for why we cannot be a certain way. The only explanation or justification is that we are too attached to the past and silly enough to let that create the stories of the future. Will Rogers is encouraging us to be free and think beyond the habitual infatuation with the past.

Learn from yesterday but move forward today

The Yesterday represents our past – we all carry a lot of baggage. This is our experiences, challenges and pain in the past life. This influences how we think today. Sometimes, these past experiences can limit our ability to take risks and find belief and trust in others. However, the quote says that while we recognise that these events happened yesterday, they still influence us. The first step for us is to know what’s influencing us and how. Once we know this, the next step is to find out how to prevent it from changing our current life. The Past Can Hurt but the way I see it – Lion King

Ultimately, the results come from moving forward. The most beautiful thing about yesterday is the lessons it can give us. Our job is to just learn from this and understand how we use it for our future. The moment yesterday becomes an excuse, our life becomes messy. We must be smart to unpick this mess and move on. Treat every moment the way it is. Be smart, use the wisdom of what the past has given us. That’s the extent of it. The past cannot define what the future can be. Be innocent and embrace what life can give us. That’s the only way to separate ourselves from this, the past will hold us back. Regrets can easily damage our mental health

The past has a duty – to help us live today the best way we can

We must keep moving forward and find ways to enrich our lives. If the past is making an unhelpful influence, we must change that. The most important point in this quote is about focusing on the present! Yesterday was a long time ago, no matter how many times we think about it, we can’t change it. The best we can do is find a way to use this experience and move forward in life. The past can be a great indicator of the future and give us lessons to learn. But if we dwell on it too much, it can be a trap and hold us there forever. So, we must be careful not to obsess over the past. We still live in the present day and it needs our attention and focus.

The true meaning of Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today is in identifying the meaning of your experiences. Our experiences give us valuable feedback. It is up to us to define how we use this feedback. Some people take it personally which affects their confidence and prevents them from growing. Some others treat this as a source of knowledge and create better plans for the future. You see, everything comes down to our mindset and how we solve our problems.

Things happen for a reason, they always do! It might be a philosophical belief, but things happen. Once an event has occurred, you cannot go back in time to change it. The only thing you can do is define what to do next. Nothing ever is solved by sitting idle and doing nothing!

• If you let the thoughts of yesterday ruin today, it will be a continuous cycle. You cannot go back in time and change the past.
• You cannot keep thinking that just because it went wrong last time, it will go wrong again.

Don’t Let Yesterday Take Up Too Much Of Today

–Will Rogers (Quotes from Will Rogers)