The Magic Checklist

The Magic of Starting Over Checklist  Life is not a rollercoaster ride that offers many pleasurable moments. It gets unpleasant and disappointing sometimes. However, we cannot afford to get stuck in the past. When we refuse to start over, we are endangering out opportunities and can ruin our professional and interpersonal relationships. People will start avoiding you because they are tired of hearing your sad story. If you have made up your mind to turn your life around and build a masterpiece out of its ruins, this book is for you. It contains practical tips that can empower you to banish the demons of your past and look forward to your future with optimism. Chapter 1: The Past: It’s Gone Forever Whether you agree or not, the past is gone forever. In other words, you cannot undo what has been done. Therefore, you need to move on and give yourself the platform to start over. You can only do better when you have the chance to act again. However, you cannot go back to the day you made a mistake and change what was done. So, the earlier you realize that your past is now history, the better for you. You need to realize the following things to banish your past:

• Life is a journey, and your past is just a part of it.
• Your past is an experience that you should treat as valuable lessons for the future.
• You cannot change the past, but the future lies ahead of you.

Chapter 2: Dangers of Getting Stuck in the Past There are repercussions you will suffer when you choose to be stuck in the past. Some of them include:

• Depression because you keep thinking about what could have been.
• Guilt because you keep blaming yourself for the wrong outcome.
• Shame because you feel you should not have done the deed.
• Lack of focus because you can’t concentrate on the current task.
• Poor performance because you are emotionally disturbed.
• Low motivation because you don’t feel like committing to the task at hand.
• Anxiety because you are not sure of what to expect next.
• Substance abuse because you are seeking relief from your anxiety levels.
• Physical illness because you are no longer taking care of yourself. 

Chapter 3: Why the Past Doesn’t Equal the Future  Many people struggle to forge ahead after setbacks because they feel the past determines their future. However, this claim is far from the truth. Your future is not the same as your past because of the following reasons:

• The past is a closed chapter
• The future is a blank page
• The past is a shadow
• The past doesn’t define you

Chapter 4: Benefits of Forging Ahead There are many benefits you stand to enjoy when you let go of the past and focus on the future. They include:

• High self-esteem
• Prevention of depression
• Healthy relationships
• Finish strong
• Have a testimony

Chapter 5: How to Bounce Back From Past Failures You cannot succeed in your bid to turn your life around when you don’t know what to do. The following tips will be useful in this regard:

• Treat the past as a lesson that will help you to make better decisions in the future.
• Surround yourself with positive people that can encourage you to forget the past.
• Leverage your strengths to give yourself an edge.
• Receive more training so that you can be more effective.

Chapter 6: Great People Who Had Rough Pasts The good news is that there are people in this world that have experienced similar or worse situations but chose to forge ahead. You can learn from them and turn your life around. Examples include:

• Benjamin Graham, who lost a lot of money but still went ahead to become one of the greatest investors ever.
• Oprah Winfrey, who became a self-made billionaire despite a rough background that included being impregnated at the age of 14.
• Rihanna, who grew up with an abusive father but still went ahead to become a superstar.
• Abraham Lincoln, who became one of the greatest American presidents despite failing repeatedly.
• Nicki Minaj, who became a global celebrity despite growing up with a father who almost killed her mother.
• Eminem, who didn’t grow up with a father figure and had a drug addict as a mother, but became a famous rapper.

Chapter 7: Overcoming Negative Self-Talk One of the reasons some people don’t recover from their past horrors is that they allow the voice of the inner critic to drown them. However, you can overcome this voice through the following tips:

• Tame your monkey mind
• Defeat the tendency to have self-fulfilling prophecies
• Avoid self-sabotaging behaviors by recognizing them and changing them

Chapter 8: Making Plans For A Better Future You cannot recover from the past and have a better future without concrete plans. Plans and goals give you a sense of purpose and optimism to face the future. Leverage these tips to make plans for a better future:

• Build a positive self-image
• Build your self-esteem
• Set specific and realistic goals
• Practice journaling
• Practice meditation
• Celebrate every progress