According to Ed Catmull, author of Creativity Inc,

“The past should be our teacher, not our master.”

Do I hear an amen?

Let your mistakes teach you lessons, not define you.

Let last year be a stepping stone, not a millstone.

Let your past pain be something to overcome, not something to dwell on.

Don’t live in the past.

Good, bad or indifferent, it can’t do you any good.

But we can learn from it.

We can make sure that we don’t mindlessly repeat it.

We can allow it to become a very helpful teacher.