There have been many times in my life when I’ve fallen into the circular “shoulda-coulda-woulda” reasoning. I consider myself a dreamer, and although I enjoy dreaming about the future, I often times have found myself lost in the past. Many times, I've wished that I could go back and change my past.

I wish I had woken up earlier this morning so I could have had more time to relax before starting the day. I wish I had stood up for myself when kids bullied me in high school. I wish I hadn't fallen for that person who broke my heart. I wish I had studied harder in high school and participated in more extracurricular activities. I wish I had continued to practice the piano.

I think of all of the opportunities I missed and all the time I wasted. I could think of an endless list of regrets. But I can't change the past. If you are like me, you need to realize that you can’t change your past either. It is impossible, and dwelling on the past is an even bigger mistake that will most likely leave you feeling discouraged.

Realize that you are here now. Harping on the past is one of the most egregious wastes of time, and once you’re done, you will realize that even more time has passed that you could have enjoyed or used productively. While you waste time thinking about the opportunities you missed or the time you wasted, there are probably plenty of opportunities that are open to you right now. Don't allow yourself to get bogged down by thinking about all the things you did wrong. Learn from those mistakes and move forward. Think about the people who love you. Think about the things you have that many other people don't have. Think about your talents.

Even through hardships, try to find something about your life that you appreciate. It could be a job, a meal, a person, or even a far off event that you are looking forward to someday, like a graduation, marriage, or visiting loved ones.

Time is the most valuable possession you have, and it is also the most ephemeral. It is the most mysterious and most elusive currency known to mankind. Don’t waste such a treasure by spending your energy trying to fix the past. Sometimes it may seem like you may never achieve true happiness, like your goals, are so far away and that you could have reached them by now if you had made different decisions, but if you allow your regrets to paralyze you, you will never be happy.

You have this moment and each one following it. So start planning today. Lift your head up, focus on the path you are on, and start building your future right now.