Don’t look back in anger

2024 is coming to an end, so I wanted to hit you with one last newsletter before the mayhem of 2025 begins.

It’s that time of year when our brains will almost automatically look back on the past year.

What went right, what went wrong.

What we achieved, what we failed to achieve.

If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to reframe the “what went wrong” part and feel all sorts of negative emotions about those things.

We may look back on something we did or didn’t do with guilt. As I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, I am someone who has ​most “catholic guilt”​ although I am not religious.

A few months ago I came across a story that I am still thinking about. Apparently, there is no word in the Tibetan language that directly translates as “guilt”. The closest possible translation is something closer to “intelligent regret”.

I don’t speak Tibetan and I haven’t been able to find a Tibetan speaker to confirm this, but I think it’s a beautiful sentiment that can help us as we move into 2025.

Guilt can be corrosive and unproductive. But as Dan Pink points out in his book ​The power of regret​, looking back on the right side species regretting things that happened or didn’t happen can actually be powerful and transformative for our future selves.

So, rather than trying to live a “ragret-free” life (opposite of intelligence)…

We can intelligently apply regret to how 2024 went.

So, in honor of next year’s Oasis reunion, ​don’t look back in anger​ (still an all-time jam by the way).

Instead… let’s look back with curiosity.

Look back with curiosity, not judgment.

Take some time today to reflect on your year ​curiosity, not judgment​.

Did you achieve the things they wanted to achieve? Excellent! I bet you learned something.

Has your life gone off the rails and you’ve spent most of the year just trying to stay afloat! Excellent! I bet you learned something! Have you repeatedly started and stopped trying to score? Excellent! I bet you learned something!

Write these things down. Notice the emotions you feel as you look back. Write down what you learned and how it may affect future decisions or choices you make.

Maybe you’ve learned that you hate running, or that going Keto was an absolute failure, or that being a first-time parent really screwed up your life, or that we can’t stick to a morning routine.

These are all things that happened. Now we have to decide what kind of emotion to apply to these things.

remember, ​the past is not set in stone​and some of these failures or setbacks may be the very lesson you should have learned for your future. They could be the catalyst for your next step forward.

Remember, it’s NOT “I screwed up/failed, so I’m a lost cause…”

It’s, “I screwed up/failed, and learned this lesson that I can apply until 2025.”

How will 2025 be different?

Next week we start with ours ​free 5 day challenge​ with coach Matt from the NF team.

If 2024 didn’t turn out the way you wanted or hoped, I’m sorry.

Life is strange and change is hard.

Let’s make 2025 different! After all, if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always had.

If you want things to be different, let’s make it happen.

Nerd Fitness Rebellion will be with you all the way.

Have a great vacation and we’ll talk to you next week.

-Steve

PS: There it is ​sign up again for our free 5-day challenge​. Cheers!