Don’t look back.

(This was this week’s Monday Motivation in my daily newsletter, and a lot of people told me it was the kick in the butt they needed, so I’m sharing it here. You can sign up for the newsletter and read old issues here (it’s free — DO IT NOW): https://arnoldspumpclub.com/

A few people sent me this collection of newspaper clippings going back more than 130 years where people said, “Things were better 50 years ago.”

It turns out people say this in every decade, at least as far back as 1890. What’s going on here? Why do people always think life was better 50 years ago?

I have a theory.

When you don’t have a vision of the future, it’s easier to look back.

When you don’t have a vision, today doesn’t have much meaning because you don’t know why you’re here doing what you’re doing right now, and tomorrow is downright scary. Yesterday can seem nice and comfortable by comparison.

This is why, over and over again, I’m going to keep telling you to find your vision. I don’t want you to be one of these people staring back into the past because you can’t accomplish anything in the past, you can’t spend time with anyone in the past, and you sure as hell can’t find happiness in the past.

A vision gives you a reason to be here, doing whatever you’re doing. It makes you excited to wake up every day and keep moving forward. It gives life meaning.

Your vision can be to be the best teacher, nurse, doctor, firefighter, or electrician you can be. It can be to be the best dad, mom, or grandparent. It can be to be physically fit so that you’re there for your family as long as possible. It can be all of those things.

All that matters is that you think about it, you identify it, and you see it. Take some time today to sit down for a few minutes, figure out what your vision is, and then visualize yourself doing whatever it is you dream of. Play it like a movie in your head.

I guarantee you that movie is better than whatever was going on 50 years ago.