Nostalgia is a tricky feeling. Sometimes, it brings us exciting new Star Wars movies. Other times it brings us yet another damn Transformers film. For your own life, nostalgia for the old days can feel nice, but it can also hold you back from improving your future.
Photo by Bruce Fingerhood.
As business blog Inc. explains, getting too nostalgic for the “good old days” can make us neglect our own futures. After all, if you’re convinced your best days are behind you, you’re less likely to invest in what comes next. As long as you’re alive and physically able, you can always look forward to a new job, relationship, or stage in your life. You just have to look for it:
It’s a terrible, self-defeating temptation, Siebold says, to believe that your best days are behind you. Instead: “Self-made millionaires get rich because they’re willing to bet on themselves and project their dreams, goals, and ideas into an unknown future.” The past, he says, is only there for them to learn from.
Of course, nostalgia isn’t inherently evil. Remembering your college days fondly, or reminiscing about an old exciting job is fine. The problem arises when the longing for your past convinces you that your future won’t measure up to those old times. Your attitude can affect your reality. If you want to invest in your future, don’t idolize your past.
The One Mindset Really, Really Rich People Always Avoid [Inc.]
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