I want to make the most of every day. And, likemost people, I've discovered that the best way to do it is to letgo of past failures. But that's not all. One can never fully enjoytoday while dwelling too much on past successes, either. Peoplenever succeed while resting comfortably on their laurels. As IvernBall has said, "The past should be a springboard, not a hammock."The fact is, sometimes our successes hold us back more than ourfailures! I once heard a story about the actor Clark Gable. Afriend paid Gable a visit one afternoon at the actor's home. Shebrought along her small son, who amused himself by playing with toycars on the floor. He pretended he was racing those cars around agreat track, which in reality was an imaginary circle around agolden statuette. The small statue the boy played with was actuallythe Oscar Clark Gable won for his performance in the 1934 movie ItHappened One Night.
When his mother told him the time had come toleave, the little boy asked the actor, "Can I have this?" pointingto the Oscar.
"Sure," he smiled. "It's yours."
The horrified mother objected. "Put that backimmediately!"
Giving the child the golden statue, Clark Gablesaid, "Having the Oscar around doesn't mean anything to me; earningit does." The actor seemed to know that past success could be acomfortable hammock upon which he may be tempted to rest, ratherthan a springboard launching him to the next level.
Biblical wisdom says, "Do not cling to events ofthe past or dwell on what happened long ago." You may have learnedto let go of past failures and mistakes in order to free thepresent. But will you loosen your grip on past successes andachievements in order to free the future? Will your past be aspringboard or a restful hammock?
"I like the dreams of the future better than thehistory of the past," said Thomas Jefferson. I agree. After all,the future, not the past, is where the rest of your life will belived.
Live with success along the way, and you will feelactually full.