"Don't Look Back. You're Not Going That Way."

In this debut episode of WORDS MATTER, Deanna Ley, The Catalytic Coach, unpacks the common quote, “Don’t look back. You’re not going that way.” 

While moving forward is essential, she explores the value of looking back—not to dwell, but to reflect, honor the journey, and appreciate the growth, lessons, and strength that have shaped each listener today.

This episode encourages the audience to embrace the present, celebrate their progress, and use their past as a guide to ignite their future.

What Listeners Will Learn:

• The benefits of reflecting on the past to appreciate how far they’ve come.
• The importance of acknowledging personal growth and achievements.
• How hardships contribute to current strength and prepare individuals for the future.
• Why the words spoken to oneself matter.
• A new perspective: “Do look back to see how far you’ve come.”

Memorable Quotes:

• “Do look back so you can see how far you’ve come.”
• “The rearview mirror is there for a reason.”
• “Pat yourself on the back for how far you’ve come.”

This episode invites listeners to honor their past while focusing on the amazing journey ahead.

WORDS MATTER, because YOU MATTER.

Transcript

Hello, my amazing friends. I'm so excited about today's episode, Words Matter. Our quote for the day is: Don't look back; you're not going that way. How many bumper stickers have you seen that on? Yep, yep, yep—it's all over the place and tends to make its rounds every now and then. While I 100% understand what the author of that quote was going for—and yes, we don't want to spend time dwelling on the past because you can't change it—I have a little bit of a different take that I want to chat about today, friends.

And that is: Do look back. Do look back so you can see how far you've come.

When we don't allow ourselves the ability to look back at where we were, where we started, how far we've come, the effort we've put in, the time and energy, and the lessons we've learned along the way, we're negating everything we've gained from those experiences that we can and do apply to our lives today.

Yes, the rearview mirror in our cars is much smaller than the windshield, right? The rearview mirror is not meant to be our only line of vision. The windshield—where we're headed—is meant to be our biggest view. But the rearview mirror is there for a reason because we do need to see where we've been.

When we allow ourselves the opportunity to take a look back—and I'm not saying to turn your whole body toward the past and walk back that way, no, no, no. Don’t retrace the steps that have gotten you to where you are today, and don’t keep doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.

But do take a look back and pat yourself on the back. Give yourself a huge hug because the things that you’ve been through matter—because you matter.

When we say, Don’t look back; you’re not going that way, it’s true that you aren’t going that way. You are meant to keep moving forward. But you can also appreciate the now—the spectacular, amazing world you find yourself in today, in this present moment. You can be incredibly grateful for that while still appreciating the lessons you’ve learned that have made you who you are today, gotten you to where you are today, and prepared you for where you’re going.

So, do look back. Do pay attention to the things you’ve been through. Attribute the ups and downs, the hard and the easy, and see how those experiences have impacted you and your life today. It’s so massively important.

Don’t take steps backward—that’s not going to get you to where you want to be. But yes, take a look back. Appreciate how far you’ve come. Know that you are not the same person today that you were yesterday, six months ago, or three years ago. Look at the person who got you to where you are today with gratitude and reverence. Love that person because he or she went through so much so you could be sitting here, having what you have and doing what you do today.

Every lesson, every hardship, every tumultuous, traumatic, and dramatic moment has led you to this one. And something else I absolutely love to share is this: You are still standing tall today because of everything you’ve been through. Your track record for getting through even the hardest of days is 100%.

So be appreciative of the YOU who needed to go through those things to get you here today. Look back with gratitude and love and appreciation, knowing that you’re not going to repeat the same mistakes. You’ve learned. You’ve grown. You’ve become somebody different because of those experiences. And you’re going to take everything you’ve learned into your future.

I hope you know that the words we see, read, hear, and say to ourselves about ourselves—all those WORDS MATTER. Because YOU MATTER.

Have a great day.