Recently I was contacted by some old friends that I had not seen or heard from in about 36 years. Oh the power of the web! As we talked, I began to realize that they might be victims of what I like to refer to as Glory Day Syndrome, which is basically a nostalgic longing for the so called “good old days.” I started to think about the limiting effects of this condition, and to wonder how many of our readers might be struggling with it as well.
Longing for those good old days
Do you remember an old Bruce Springsteen song called Glory Days? The lyrics tell the tale of three people who look back on times gone by with longing. Why? Because their current situation is disappointing and doesn’t measure up to the good old days. The last verse goes like this:
Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture
a little of the glory of, well time slips away
and leaves you with nothing mister but
boring stories of glory days
a little of the glory of, well time slips away
and leaves you with nothing mister but
boring stories of glory days
It can happen to anyone!
In the song there are three completely different scenarios. The first guy was a star baseball player back in high school. Many years later, that’s what he still likes to talk about. The second was a woman who was very popular and could “turn all the boys heads” when she was in school. Now she is divorced with kids and verydisappointed by her situation, so she talks about the good old days.
The third guy is a little different. He worked on an assembly line at Ford for twenty years and never had any glory days. In retrospect, his life seems boring without any real highlights to look back on in his old age.
Can you relate to any of these scenarios?
For many, life just hasn’t lived up to their expectations. They started out excited,energetic, and full of hope, and ended up feeling disappointed and let down. So what is it that allows others to feel totally excited by life and looking forward to each new day instead of thinking about those so long lost good old days?
Circumstances can certainly have a huge effect, but that’s not the answer. The way we know this is that many people are able to rise above the worst kind of circumstances and still maintain a positive, optimistic view of life. So there must be other factors involved.
What Glory Day Syndrome is not!
Hopefully, we all have fond memories associated with different times of our lives, times that stood out as special. We think of those times with great fondness and we enjoy reflecting on them. This is normal and healthy, even comforting. It is not Glory Day Syndrome unless we feel that life is not now, or will it ever be that good again.
As long as we can continue to look forward to tomorrow with a positive sense of eager anticipation then we are fine. In this case, our good old days are just the really memorable parts of our living experience. But our focus is still in the here and now, and we expect each coming day to be a positive and worthwhile experience.
OK, so what is it?
It’s all about where we choose to put our focus. If we are so emotionally invested in the past that it prevents us from seeing and appreciating the wonderment of our present life, then we’ve got glory day syndrome.
Imagine being on a journey and spending all your time looking in the rear-view mirror. Instead of seeing what’s all around, you would only see what is behind you. Instead of anticipating what is beyond the next bend, your view would only include the past. We all glance in the rear-view mirror from time to time, but our focus should be on where we are now, and where we are headed.
You can never go back
The past is exactly that, past. In other words, it’s gone and it’s not coming back. You can revisit the people and places, but you cannot relive the experience in the same way. We grow and change. Life is not static, and as the saying goes – time waits for no one.
Don’t waste today longing for yesterday. Make today your good old days and adopt the attitude that the best is still ahead. How can you do that?
Learning keeps life exciting
Our potential to learn and experience new things is almost inexhaustible. When our mind gets bored, our life turns boring and there is a tendency to think back to more exciting times. So make today exciting by learning new things. What have you always wanted to do? Well, stop wanting and start doing.
Create the life you want to live
There is no time to bust out of a rut like right now. Just because things have been a certain way for a long while doesn’t mean that they can’t change. You can change almost anything you want to, and you can start right now.
If you feel that you lack the skills to make serious changes in your life, don’t let that stop you. I created Find Your TRUE SELF to quickly teach you everything you need to know to completely transform your life. So please, don’t allow the lack of a few simple skills to stand between you and a life you can get excited about.
Glory Day Syndrome is curable. All it takes is a shift in focus and a strong shot of motivation. Why would we want to keep looking behind us when tomorrow can be used to realize today’s dreams? I tell you with absolute certainty that if you want it, then the best is yet to come.
Do you know someone with glory day syndrome?
How do you feel about change?
The lines are open!
How do you feel about change?
The lines are open!
