The Benefit of Hindsight
As we begin to adapt our physical and mental environments to exemplify our most impactful selves both internally and externally, our physical presence and internal authenticity slowly evolve and develop. We must exemplify the traits, characteristics and attitudes that we wish for not only ourselves, but also for further generations to garner insight from. This is the essence of evolution after all, that we create positive change within our lives such that subsequent generations will be able to garner insight and strength from, and for them to be able to grow and evolve themselves from the knowledge that we gained. When we begin down the path of evolving into our most authentic self, it is important that we are developing ourselves into a long term project of sorts, constantly open to the input of new information and emotion. In the process of evolving ourselves to our highest levels of authenticity, we must remain open to reformation of theory and viewpoints, as the world rapidly changes around us. The course that we initially set may be altered many times before we are able to realize what the true path of greatest benefit is for us and further generations. The impact of our evolution within our life, if chosen properly, should create a ripple effect for years to come.
When we then think about evolution within a lifetime, patience is perhaps on a grander scale than is actually able to be perceived. The impact of our choices and experiences in our lives may seem to only slightly alter our course, perhaps even imperceptibly to the untrained eye. But to the trained eye, our progress can be magnified in such a way that our actions and their subsequent immensity become immediately evident. See, in our best efforts to change our lives, we may only alter the direction of our ship a mere five degrees within the course of any given lifetime. But as any good seaman will tell you, a five degree difference over the course of a few hours will put 2 ships hundreds of yards away, and after days, they will not even be visible to one another. Given a month, the 2 ships will be on completely different sides of the world from one another.
The essence of evolution then, in my humble opinion, is that we must continue to make small, incremental changes within our lives if we wish to alter our course within one lifetime. Large scale changes are of course possible, but as we gain awareness to our lives, we often come to realize that these grander changes are either the results of the consumation of our smaller adjustments, or come as external corrections to our path, implemented by our entaglements . Interestingly enough, they often may feel as if they are external, when in actuality they are the sum result of all the small choices, decisions, and work that we put into our daily lives. If we live intentionally or not, we become big piles of actions and decisions within our lives, and periodically the adding machine of our lives will tabulate a sum resulting in what feels like a large scale change. It is therefore important to reflect upon our progress often, keeping a fastidious eye on our small steps that inevitably reach the paragon which we seek within our lives.
Within the scope of restrospect we can often begin to tease out the origins of our more substantial changes. If we continue to make conscious, intentional decisions in our lives, it can be quite easy to surmise the creator of the footsteps in the snow behind us. Notably, when we are making such decisions, it also becomes easier to identify the points within our path that were less than intentional, and were in need of adjustment of attitude or decision. Keeping a daily journal can be a great way to keep your insight sharp within these matters, as it allows you to track your daily thoughts and intentions on a larger scale. By allowing yourself the benefit of hindsight and retrospect within your work, you can keenly identify your strongest points of growth, and also where improvement is necessary. Celebrate both your wins and losses, as they both contribute equitably to the person you wish to become.
