“Live your life through the windshield, not the rearview mirror.”

“Live your life through the windshield, not the rearview mirror” – Colin Cowherd

The quote above might not be exactly correct word for word but the important thing is that it retains the message that the original author meant to convey. When driving a car there is a windshield and a rearview mirror, both serve very critical roles in that aspect, we cannot drive without either one. In this metaphor however they point to contrasting mentalities individual people have in life. The windshield signifies looking ahead to the present moment or future, opposing this we have the rearview mirror that only shows us what is behind, meaning in this context the past whether good or bad. From this description of the two, it can be inferred as the title of the paper already states that we should “live our life through the windshield, not the rearview mirror.” There are numerous reasons that justify this position, the most important being that the past is history, we are unable to change it, so our sole focus needs to shift to what we can still have a say on; the present and future.

This lesson is very easy to digest, it is very clear and full of wisdom, but we all understand it is one thing to get it and another to follow through. Regret is the main culprit holding people hostage in the rearview mirror state of mind. The damage caused by regret can be substantial if we get consumed by it. Making a mistake is a part of life, nobody can see into the future on the outcome of choices, so being wrong on occasion is unavoidable. By allowing regret to set in when “shit happens,” the resulting consequences can have a carryover affect that can dictate and hinder our future as well. Now regret while being the main culprit of this toxic view, it is not the only one, nostalgia is also an offender. Reliving the happy times can be a wonderful experience for short momentary stretches, when we maintain nostalgia to a minimum it can uplift and motivate. The problems only arise when the nostalgia becomes a daily companion which it does for some. Think of the old washed up high school sports star we often see in fiction (or real life) who never made it to the college or the pro ranks, they supposedly peaked too soon in the eyes of many but the fact is they became victims of nostalgia. Good experiences if not put in the back burner will ruin other potential good times.

The great athletes, entertainers, businessmen, happy individuals never dwell too much into the past, they are always looking for new experiences, more happy days, they know they have to prove themselves every single day. It is about the now, not past accomplishments or failures. That is the beautiful thing about life, if we are alive, we can change the narrative of our being in any direction we wish. That is the philosophy the windshield viewers have, full of possibilities and are able to forget and forgive themselves and truly move on to bigger and better things. No worries if you are a rearview mirror person today, we all can become windshield people by taking our eyes away from the rearview mirror and just looking at what is in front of us.

What this quote means to me (No. 5)

The “What this quote means to me” series will be looking at historical quotes and elaborate further on the messages that can be found within them from the perspective of the author. It is encouraged that readers post their own thoughts on the quotes discussed or to bring other quotes and describe what they take away from them in terms of message, value, and the like.

“Don’t let people with no life ruin yours.” – Colin Cowherd

In the era of social media (that we are currently in) it is a normal thing to see everyday people argue and talk down to others, trying to break them down. This behavior displayed has lead many to describe current society as the “tear down culture” for its cruelty that touches pretty much everyone who has dreams, who has aspirations, who has accomplished and garnered success in the field they work. Those who intentionally and maliciously target people usually do so for no other reason than for the pleasure of making others feel miserable.

And despite what almost everyone says, we do all actually care what other people think of us. However this reality has to be put into a proper focus, yes, to a level no matter how much we try opinions about us will have an impact. Though our mind and emotions should be directed at the opinions that count, the opinions of our parents, the opinions of those respected in whatever field of work we do, and especially our own opinion about ourselves. When we look at criticism (or even praise) the source should always be the first thing that has to be taken into account.

In the real world outside the walls of social media and the anonymous critic, we see the faces of the happy and productive people as well as the faces of the low lives and scum of the world. The people who hate their life are the ones that at the end of the day are looking for victims to join their miserable club. But before falling into the trap, remember their true faces, and remind yourself if the opinion of that drunk with child support payments long overdue really matters? Not really. How many examples of hard working, good character individuals are there that spew nonsense trying to just make others feel miserable? None is the answer. So the next time there is ever a second that a voice tries to knock you off your path, remember to look at the source as discussed earlier. Because as Colin quote puts it, only those with no life want to ruin others lives, so do not let them do it to you.