Hindsight is 2024: How Failing Forward Could Redefine Your Future
I'll keep this one like Sabrina Carpenter, short and sweet. Let's take one more look back at 2024.
Envision yourself as a Quadragenarian reflecting on your experiences in your thirties and twenties. Consider your current location and posture. Recall the first memory that elicits laughter.
Aside from the moment in Japan where I made a poor judgment call by running down an escalator, which resulted in me spraining my ankle, there were numerous mistakes made throughout 2024. A plethora of missteps led me to where and who I am today. And instead of looking back with regret, I recognize these silly goose errors taught me more than if I had done the right thing from the start.
How we reflect on our experiences produces varying degrees of clarity. Whether through a lens of kindness or shame, we notice and internalize different information about ourselves based on our outlook.
Engaging in this visualization exercise fosters an attitude of gratitude and grace towards your past while allowing for self-forgiveness regarding your earlier decisions and knowledge. Such reflection is instrumental in cultivating a positive relationship with your present circumstances and ongoing development. Additionally, it enhances your connection to your future self.
2024 Chloe failed to release any music. 2024 Chloe did not release an EP. 2024 Chloe neglected to write music that would be placed in a commercial, TV show, or film. These failures to meet the marks I made for myself could either inform my steps for the future or stop me from going forward altogether. As an alternative, my failures have become milemarkers of where I was in my process. How I count my failures versus my successes informs me of where my level of self-confidence is.
Confidence relies heavily on the degree of trust you have in someone or something. To cultivate unwavering confidence in your abilities, you must first embrace the depth of trust you have in the efforts of your practice. Developing confidence in ourselves therefore enriches our lives and creative endeavors.
Moreover, confidence isn't about avoiding failure but understanding that failure is a part of the journey. It's through these moments of vulnerability and challenge that our trust in ourselves becomes even more solidified. When we practice consistently, even when the outcome isn't perfect, we prove to ourselves that we have the resilience and commitment to keep going. This cultivates a deeper sense of self-assurance.
As we become more confident in our abilities, we begin to trust our instincts more, which frees us to be more creative, more daring in our actions, and more authentic in our self-expression. Confidence in our own potential doesn't just affect how we approach our goals—it influences how we show up in the world, how we relate to others, and how we take on new challenges. It's a ripple effect that enhances all aspects of life, allowing us to take risks and explore new horizons with an open heart and mind.
In creative pursuits, especially, confidence can be the catalyst that pushes us to try new things, to think outside the box, and to create without fear of judgment. The more trust we place in our practice, the more we see our own potential to produce something meaningful. Developing unwavering confidence in ourselves is ultimately an act of self-love, recognizing that the effort we put into our craft or our personal growth is a worthy and transformative investment.
Your future self understands and still loves the present you.
By imagining the path ahead, we foster hope for ourselves. When we embrace our future selves, we create a deeper connection with our dreams, making it easier to realize them. Future you can only be improved by your awareness and willingness to move in graces and confidence. By gazing back from the vantage point of a future milestone, we come to realize that we are not falling behind, nor is there any need to hurry. We are precisely where we are meant to be. In this moment, we can only move forward, guided by the wisdom of our own journey, trusting that each step—no matter how slow or uncertain—has led us to this very point. Time, in its own way, unfolds at the pace we need.
Conclusion.
The process of looking back serves as a foundation for looking forward. The insights necessary for our future often reside in the decisions and patterns established in the past. As you contemplate 2024, evaluate what strategies were successful for you. Identify any factors that hindered your progress. Consider the individuals you could rely upon for support, and reflect on whether you included yourself in that support network.
In this moment of reflection, you hold the key to unlocking everything you’re meant to become. It’s not about running from mistakes or pretending to be perfect—it’s about honoring the lessons that are already woven into your story. Every misstep, every moment of doubt, has been your teacher. What worked? What didn’t? Don’t just look at the wins—look at the losses, too. They’re all pieces of the same puzzle.
When you understand the weight of both your triumphs and your falls, you clear the path ahead with clarity and power. You’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from wisdom. Resilience. Self-awareness. The choices you make in 2025 won’t just be reactions—they’ll be deliberate, grounded in everything you’ve learned so far. And trust that those lessons will guide you toward a future you didn’t just dream of, but one you’ve already started to build. Step into it.
There is healing and power in hindsight.
Caring for our bodies with kindness and compassion creates an environment where we can truly develop into our authentic selves. This metamorphosis is subtle, unfolding gradually as we embrace the process over time.
By practicing patience and self-acceptance, we provide ourselves with the opportunity to grow and evolve in ways we might not even notice at first, ultimately leading us to a deeper understanding of who we are meant to be.
Own your 2025 by looking at it with your future eyes. You already are who you will become. What does that look like?
amazing post !
Gosh! There’s so much good food for thought here! Could it be that confidence is a muscle that both propels us to take new, risky actions and grows as an outcome of our previous actions? If so, then perhaps action itself - fresh, intentional action - is more potent than “successes” or “failures” in determining our future state of being.