UNITED STATES—For some reason as the year comes to an end, we always reflect on the past year right around Christmas. What is it about the month of December that forces us to a flashback of all the good, the bad and sometimes the ugly to our memory? We’re probably wondering those ‘what ifs,’ asking those questions of just how our life could be dramatically different if we did this or did that instead of something else.

Think about this for a second, does thinking about something you could have done differently really change anything? Honestly, no. That’s the point of time, it can’t be reversed. Trust me if it could we’d all probably push the rewind button to correct past misdeeds or things we hoped would transpire in a much different way. Anything that is adjusted would greatly affect the future, but imagine if you could make those adjustments without the fear of possible repercussions would you?

I don’t think I would, why, I do believe the concept that certain things do happen for a reason, it shapes you as a person and to go back and change that would be a detrimental effect on you as a person. Sometimes you have to experience difficult choices or things to really understand what you’re capable of.

Note: this is not referencing to things that are out of your control, but things that you can control. Showing up early or late for an interview, choosing to go to work or not, deciding to purchase this item or to keep your funds for something else. Asking the girl of your dreams out on a date or not, I mean the list can go on and on.

Personal reflection is a good thing; it allows us to measure our level of growth in a specific time frame.  What I’ve accomplished, what I have yet to accomplish, what I plan to accomplish. Thinking allows us to put perspective back into our lives. Just what is it I need to work on that I have yet to achieve, but importantly what things can I do to move in the appropriate direction?  Time can be a dangerous thing, because if you think about it too much it echoes a level of boredom and monotony that nobody wants to admit to.

When you’re doing things you love time flies, when you’re not, it moves at the pace of a turtle trying to a win race with a hare. The worse thing we can do at this time of year is reflect on the bad, remember misery loves company. The more you engage in the bad the more it stays stuck to you like a piece of gum you can’t rid yourself of. Reflect on those happy moments, the things that turned out the precise way you aimed for them to. In some cases 10 times better than you expected.

Remember memories are a dime a dozen, some good, some bad, some miserable, but each are instrumental in shaping us to the person we become today, tomorrow and in the near future.