Yes. I think it’s good to think about the past when it comes to running a business. Are there potential downfalls? Of course. You don’t want to dwell on the past to the point that it negatively affects your present and future. But if you try to ignore everything from your past you’re likely going to struggle in the future.
To start, I’d like to go over a few examples of when it’s good to think about the past when it comes to running your business.
Back To Basics
There was probably a reason you got into business. Maybe it was a passion. Maybe it was because you recognized some strengths in yourself that fit well with the business world. Perhaps you felt strong conviction to partner with others in a business.
Day-to-day life can take on urgency. We can start making decisions and building habits that take us off the course for awhile. And if we don’t stop and consider the past a little it can lead to a lack of success.
Let’s say that you’re unhappy with the way things are going with your company. It can be good to stop and consider how and why you got into business. It could bring you back into focus on why you want to continue in business. It can allow you refocus your energies into certain areas.
Or it could allow you to make a change. Either way, you’re better off in this situation by thinking about the past.
Reflection On Progress
In the present it’s easy to think that you’re struggling to get to the next step. This often happens in business. You think that you should be further along than you are. You compare yourself to others and think that you’re falling behind somehow.
In these situations it can be good to consider your past and how far you’ve come. And it doesn’t just have to be a measure such as money. One of the things with a growing business is that as profits increase you need to make more investment into future growth. This can take profits in the seemingly wrong direction for awhile. Even for years.
It’s good to sit back and assess where you are now, compared to where you were in the past. Then you can start focusing on where you want to go in the future. You can look back on the processes and routines that worked the best and you can start working again on the present to the build the future.
What About Potential Pitfalls…
It’s easy to think about mistakes.
I’m a recreational golfer. The game is an incredible test of the mind. You rarely hit good shots. Even the pros rarely hit the shot they intend. It seems that much of the game is about not remembering poor shots. And sometimes you have several minutes in between shots so there is a lot of time to ruminate on past shots.
I can still remember some of my worst shots years after they occur. It’s ridiculous. They have no impact on future shots other than the fact that they’re residing in my brain and I’m still thinking about them. It’s ridiculous.
In business, like many aspects of life, we tend to focus too much on our mistakes. We think about how we would do things differently. But that’s always a losing game.
If you find yourself doing this in business, cut yourself some slack. Focus on good intentions. If you live life with good intention you’re going to make more good decisions than bad. You will make mistakes even if you have good intentions.
Use past mistakes to consider bad habits that tend to creep up in your life. Schedule time each year to assess current habits and make adjustments to get things back on track.
Final Thoughts
It’s a good thing to think about your past in business. However, you have to use it as a learning tool. Think of your past as a book. One that you can read to learn information that will help you in the future. And when considering the future, consider what you can do each day to build toward your goals.
The present is obviously where we live. But it’s impossible to not think about the past and the future. You can obviously get in trouble in both cases. But I think you can also get in trouble by trying to avoid it completely. So accept that you’re going to think about the past and use it for good.
Our experience is one of the greatest gifts of our lives.