--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't think about what you should have…" description: "\"Don't think about what you should have done in the past think about what you should be doing in the present.\" — Sonya Parker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/sonya-parker-80_focus_don-t-think-about-what-you-should-have-d_2897856.jpg" --- # Don't think about what you should have done in the past… ![“Don't think about what you should have done in the past think about what you should be doing in the present.” quote by Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/sonya-parker-80_focus_don-t-think-about-what-you-should-have-d_2897856.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/sonya-parker-80_focus_don-t-think-about-what-you-should-have-d_2897856.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/sonya-parker-80_focus_don-t-think-about-what-you-should-have-d_2897856.jpg) > “Don't think about what you should have done in the past think about what you should be doing in the present.” [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on present actions rather than past regrets to achieve growth. **In simple terms:** Live now, not in past mistakes. Key Takeaway Act now, learn from past. Themes self‑improvement mindfulness productivity Mood encouraging practical Type self‑help inspirational When to use this quote - daily planning - career goals - personal health Key Concepts growth mindset temporal focus Questions to Reflect On - What can you do today that matters? - How do you let go of past guilt? A Different Perspective Past can still influence present decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Forget the past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-the-past/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Improvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improvement/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [No regrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-regrets/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-think/) [Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-doing/) [Think Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [When we think about the past, we think, 'It must have been so boring.' It's actually not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitriona-balfe/when-we-think-about-the-past-we-think-it-must-have-been-so-boring-it/) [Caitriona Balfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitriona-balfe/) > [I don't think about the past, I only think about the present because what I do today sets me up for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-davis/i-don-t-think-about-the-past-i-only-think-about-the-present-because/) [Vernon Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-davis/) > [“Dont think about the past,think about the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-ranalli/dont-think-about-the-past-think-about-the-future/) [Elena Ranalli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-ranalli/) > [When your try to forget the past you think positive about the future...but then you think… my future has to do with my past!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-zmyn/when-your-try-to-forget-the-past-you-think-positive-about-the-future/) [J@ZMYN](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-zmyn/) > [I try to not look back at the past, I think of it as a toilet that flushes...do I really want to go there?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-try-to-not-look-back-at-the-past-i-think-of-it-as-a-toilet-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never think about the past, because it brings tears. Don't think about the future because it only brings fears. Live in the moment with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/never-think-about-the-past-because-it-brings-tears-don-t-think-about/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Wouldn't it be nice to just live for today and let the past just slip away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-boughter/wouldn-t-it-be-nice-to-just-live-for-today-and-let-the-past-just-slip/) [Robert Boughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-boughter/) > [Tough times don't last, but tough people do. F\*ck your past, but don't let it f\*ck you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/tough-times-don-t-last-but-tough-people-do-f-ck-your-past-but-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Do not waste one moment in regret, for to think feelingly of the mistakes of the past is to re-infect yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-goddard/do-not-waste-one-moment-in-regret-for-to-think-feelingly-of-the/) [Neville Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-goddard/) > [Make good choices today so you won't have regrets tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/make-good-choices-today-so-you-won-t-have-regrets-tomorrow/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [The people in your past have wasted enough of your time. How many more years of your life are you going to give them?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/the-people-in-your-past-have-wasted-enough-of-your-time-how-many-more/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [If you had a bad past realize that it's over, you were strong enough to get through it and now it's time to focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-you-had-a-bad-past-realize-that-it-s-over-you-were-strong-enough/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Your past, your problems, your enemies and your haters haven't STOPPED you from living another day. That's how STRONG you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/your-past-your-problems-your-enemies-and-your-haters-haven-t-stopped/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [When driving life's road, keep your foot on the gas, don't drive in reverse, and don't let speed bumps slow you down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/when-driving-life-s-road-keep-your-foot-on-the-gas-don-t-drive-in/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Stop focusing on past memories, and go out and create new memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/stop-focusing-on-past-memories-and-go-out-and-create-new-memories/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) ## More by Sonya Parker > [If someone leaves you because of a flaw or small problem they're immature, and they are definitely wrong for you. So, good riddance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-someone-leaves-you-because-of-a-flaw-or-small-problem-they-re/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [If holding onto them requires you to lower your self-worth and self-respect let go of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-holding-onto-them-requires-you-to-lower-your-self-worth-and-self/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I still care about you, but youve lost my trust, youve lost my respect and youve lost me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/i-still-care-about-you-but-youve-lost-my-trust-youve-lost-my-respect/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Everyone has dreams, but everyone isn't willing to fight for their dreams to come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/everyone-has-dreams-but-everyone-isn-t-willing-to-fight-for-their/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [A jerk will keep hurting you then apologize to keep you from leaving them, and then do it all over again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/a-jerk-will-keep-hurting-you-then-apologize-to-keep-you-from-leaving/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Just because you failed yesterday it doesn't mean that you can't succeed today or tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/just-because-you-failed-yesterday-it-doesn-t-mean-that-you-can-t/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Today isn't just another day off, it's a day to remember those who have sacrificed their life for your FREEDOM. Happy Memorial Day!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/today-isn-t-just-another-day-off-it-s-a-day-to-remember-those-who/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Stop holding onto people that treat you like crap. They might be nice sometimes, but the rest of the time they disrespect you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/stop-holding-onto-people-that-treat-you-like-crap-they-might-be-nice/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Nice people hate saying 'no' to their friends and family, that's why they get used and taken advantage of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/nice-people-hate-saying-no-to-their-friends-and-family-that-s-why/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Most people don't reach their goals because reaching their goals requires them to do things that they don't want to do. You might not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/most-people-don-t-reach-their-goals-because-reaching-their-goals/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Once a person turns cold it's hard to change back into who they used to be. They have to let go of the past,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/once-a-person-turns-cold-it-s-hard-to-change-back-into-who-they-used/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [You're unhappy with your life because you give up when things don't happen fast enough for you. The bigger the goal the longer it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/you-re-unhappy-with-your-life-because-you-give-up-when-things-don-t/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Some people give up on everything just because they can't fix one thing. You might not be able to fix that, but you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/some-people-give-up-on-everything-just-because-they-can-t-fix-one/) [SONYA PARKER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I dont care how brokenhearted someone is if they wanted to be with you they would because the love they feel for you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/i-dont-care-how-brokenhearted-someone-is-if-they-wanted-to-be-with/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Love is when someone has the power to break your heart into a thousand pieces, but they make sure it stays in 1 piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/love-is-when-someone-has-the-power-to-break-your-heart-into-a/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) [Explore all 1,539 Sonya Parker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) ## More Focus quotes > [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/) [Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/) > [Music is a job, but I figured out ways to get my mind into a place where I could be creative. I actually discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flume/music-is-a-job-but-i-figured-out-ways-to-get-my-mind-into-a-place/) [Flume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flume/) > [“If you're focused, you can't get bored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-re-focused-you-can-t-get-bored/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [There are more important things to focus on in life than how you look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arden-cho/there-are-more-important-things-to-focus-on-in-life-than-how-you-look/) [Arden Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arden-cho/) > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [“This is Galileo,” said Aristotle. “He advocates understanding the world through observation and experiment. He is an unimaginative thinker, but his results demand our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-is-galileo-said-aristotle-he-advocates-understanding-the-world/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [Too many times we flitter our energy into too many goals and in the process don't achieve much. Focus is very important in life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaishali-kasture/too-many-times-we-flitter-our-energy-into-too-many-goals-and-in-the/) [Vaishali Kasture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaishali-kasture/) > [If you ask another competitor, they may tell you they felt very competitive towards me. But I can tell you that my biggest competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-kwan/if-you-ask-another-competitor-they-may-tell-you-they-felt-very/) [Michelle Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-kwan/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [All I'm focused on is playing my game. Everything else will take care of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grigor-dimitrov/all-i-m-focused-on-is-playing-my-game-everything-else-will-take-care/) [Grigor Dimitrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grigor-dimitrov/) > [Focus on being productive instead of busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/focus-on-being-productive-instead-of-busy/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) [Browse all 11,734 Focus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't think about what you should have done in the past think about what you should be doing in the present.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sonya Parker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/don-t-think-about-what-you-should-have-done-in-the-past-think-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Focus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/don-t-think-about-what-you-should-have-done-in-the-past-think-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/sonya-parker-80_focus_don-t-think-about-what-you-should-have-d_2897856.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/sonya-parker-80_focus_don-t-think-about-what-you-should-have-d_2897856.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/sonya-parker-80_focus_don-t-think-about-what-you-should-have-d_2897856.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don't think about what you should have done in the past think about what you should be doing in the present.” — Sonya Parker", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sonya Parker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Don't think about what you should...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/don-t-think-about-what-you-should-have-done-in-the-past-think-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/don-t-think-about-what-you-should-have-done-in-the-past-think-about/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```