Ever wonder why rear view mirrors are so small? It’s pretty simple. What goes on behind you is less important than what’s ahead. What’s behind you can become a distraction to what is out in front of you, blocking your views, changing your perspectives and distracting you from the roadway ahead. Hence, small rear view mirror.

All too often we cannot let the past go, and that tends to affect and “defect” our futures, altering who we can become and where we can grow. What we think and how we feel about ourselves makes a huge difference on who we are, and either limits or enlarges who we can become. Hence the need for small rear view mirrors of the mind. What is past is past, and, let’s face it, we all fall short. The key is what we do to recover from our falls.

1) You fall

Your fall off the wagon could take place in a single moment, or it could be the result of a drawnout process. Most falls happen slowly, as a result of being last on the list of priorities. At some point regret sets in. “If only I’d taken better care of me.” Illness, vacation, holidays, changes at work or any other change in your schedule are all things that’ll get you off the wagon. Once you’re off, the real damage begins.

2) You surrender

There comes a point after you fall off the wagon that you simply throw your hands up in the air and give in. Too often it’s, “I started eating whatever I wanted” – and that’s never good. “My drug of choice is food. I use food to comfort, to soothe, to ease stress.” This is the most destructive part of the cycle. You remove all expectations from yourself and, as a result, you plummet into an unhealthy realm. Any progress that you’ve made toward your goals is lost.

3) You hit bottom

Inevitably there comes the moment when you hit bottom. Your body shows the weight gain and you feel awful about it. For most it is a sobering moment. At this point, people feel despair, defeat, loss of self worth. They often give up completely and let “fat” rule. While hitting bottom is never a fun experience, it is a necessary one. The pain must become great enough for you to turn it around and take the control back.

4) You take control

Now comes the good part. When you hit bottom you were out of control, now you’re ready to grab the reigns. You let go of the old ways, the old you, and you don’t look back. The time has come to put yourself at the top of the priority list. The time has come to take definitive action. You are worth it.

Take any set back as a “set up” to get back aboard the lifestyle wagon that revolves around healthy foods, friends, entertainment and exercise, to avoid that next phase where surrender takes hold. Guilt and regret are tools the “rear view mirror” of the mind uses against you to keep you down. Remove the limitations that looking back creates. The rear view mirror is small – on purpose!