BY MICHELLE MCLAUGHLIN
Imagine driving a car while staring in the rearview mirror. How far would you get before veering off course? Not far at all. Yet, so many of us live our lives this way—obsessing over past mistakes, regrets, and failures, wondering why we can’t seem to make progress. We’re stuck! It’s time to take your foot off the brakes and shift into high gear. Your future is waiting, but first, you have to let go and start looking forward!
The Weight You Carry
Your past is a chapter, not your life! The mistakes you’ve made, the opportunities you’ve missed, the relationships that didn’t work— unfortunately, we let these things define us. Yet, they are really life lessons, road signs on the path to becoming the person you’re meant to be. But when you drag them around like a heavy suitcase, you rob yourself of the energy and clarity needed to create a better future. Can I get an amen!
Ask yourself: What are the three top things holding you back? Is it a failure that shattered your confidence? A betrayal from a relationship that left you guarded? The loss of a friendship? A missed opportunity that haunts you? Something you wish you would’ve done differently in your job or career? Recognize it. Acknowledge it. And then make the choice to do something different and do better! Acknowledge citizen, uncomfortable, and start with baby steps to move forward.
The Power of Now
Letting go isn’t about pretending the past never happened. It’s about deciding that it no longer controls you. Every minute you spend dwelling on yesterday is a minute stolen from the life you could be building today. Right now, in this very moment, you have the power to rewrite your story.
Successful people—from entrepreneurs to athletes to world leaders—all have one thing in common: they refuse to be defined by their past. They use setbacks as fuel, failures as stepping stones, and hardships as training grounds. They don’t let yesterday’s mistakes dictate tomorrow’s success. Why should you? Answer that question honestly.
Action Plan
- Forgive (Yourself and Others) – Resentment and guilt are anchors that keep you stuck. Cut the rope. Set yourself free.
- Focus on What You Can Control – The past is unchangeable, but your future is unwritten. Shift your energy to what you can influence today. Yet today is all we really have.
- Create a Vision for the Future – Where do you want to be a month from now, then six months and then a year from now? Start making decisions slowly that align with that vision. Don’t expect major changes overnight. It takes time.
- Take One Bold Step Forward – Action is the antidote to stagnation. Do something today that moves you closer to your dreams.
Your past does not define you—your choices do. Every great success story begins with a moment of decision, a commitment to step forward despite the weight of yesterday. The only way to build the life you truly want is to stop looking back and start moving ahead. Let go, trust yourself and create the life you were meant to live one day at a time. I’ve been there If I can do this you can too! I invite you to set up a private one on one coaching with me to start exploring some baby steps to move you in a new direction!
McLaughlin has endured cancer, alcoholism, financial loss, divorce, depression, and grief and emerged stronger, bolder, and more capable to lead other women into new directions. A courage creator and pioneer, Michelle is the mentor any woman would love to have by their side — and every woman deserves. For questions and/or a complimentary 30-minute coaching session email her: im4letitbe@gmail.com
