--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Stop focusing on what happened before and…" description: "\"Stop focusing on what happened before and start focusing on what's happening NOW.\" — Sonya Parker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/sonya-parker-80_focus_stop-focusing-on-what-happened-before-an_1564452.jpg" --- # Stop focusing on what happened before and start focusing… ![“Stop focusing on what happened before and start focusing on what's happening NOW.” quote by Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/sonya-parker-80_focus_stop-focusing-on-what-happened-before-an_1564452.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/sonya-parker-80_focus_stop-focusing-on-what-happened-before-an_1564452.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/sonya-parker-80_focus_stop-focusing-on-what-happened-before-an_1564452.jpg) > “Stop focusing on what happened before and start focusing on what's happening NOW.” [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 events to achieve progress. **In simple terms:** Live in the now. Key Takeaway Prioritize current actions. Themes mindfulness productivity growth Mood motivational pragmatic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - goal setting - daily routines - career planning Key Concepts psychology time management Questions to Reflect On - What can you do right now? - How does letting go of past help? A Different Perspective Past can distract from present opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Focusing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focusing/) [Focusing Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focusing-happened-3583369/) [Focusing Happening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focusing-happening-5876013/) [Live for the moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-for-the-moment/) [Live for today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-for-today/) [Now or never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now-or-never/) [Shit happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shit-happens/) [Start Focusing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-focusing-384834/) [Stop Focusing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop-focusing-1202913/) ## Related quotes > [Stop focusing on what you should have said or done in the past, and START focusing on what your ass should be doing NOW.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/stop-focusing-on-what-you-should-have-said-or-done-in-the-past-and/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Stop focusing on what made you happy before and start focusing on what can make you happy now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/stop-focusing-on-what-made-you-happy-before-and-start-focusing-on/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [In order to move on you need to stop focusing on their life, and you need to start focusing on your own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/in-order-to-move-on-you-need-to-stop-focusing-on-their-life-and-you/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [If you want to make a permanent change, stop focusing on the size of your problem and start focusing on the size of you..!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-to-make-a-permanent-change-stop-focusing-on-the-size-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Stop focusing on what you don’t want; it’s a tremendous waste of time and energy. Instead, start focusing on what you do want. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/stop-focusing-on-what-you-don-t-want-it-s-a-tremendous-waste-of-time/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [If you want to make a permanent change, stop focusing on the size of your problems and start focusing on the size of you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-harv-eker/if-you-want-to-make-a-permanent-change-stop-focusing-on-the-size-of-2/) [T. Harv Eker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-harv-eker/) > [Worrying is worthless. When you stop focusing on what has already happened and what may never happen, then you'll be in the present moment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-weiss/worrying-is-worthless-when-you-stop-focusing-on-what-has-already/) [Brian Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-weiss/) > [Stop focusing on the bad things about you. There are good things about you too, and that's what you should be focusing on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/stop-focusing-on-the-bad-things-about-you-there-are-good-things-about/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [F you stop focusing on other people's life you'll have more time to work on yourself and your own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/f-you-stop-focusing-on-other-people-s-life-you-ll-have-more-time-to/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Stop focusing on what's wrong with everyone else and start focusing on how blessed you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/stop-focusing-on-what-s-wrong-with-everyone-else-and-start-focusing/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [If you start focusing on the next job, then you're probably not going to do the one you have very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-mcraven/if-you-start-focusing-on-the-next-job-then-you-re-probably-not-going/) [William H. McRaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-mcraven/) > [As soon as you start focusing on the negative you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libbie-hickman/as-soon-as-you-start-focusing-on-the-negative-you-re-dead/) [Libbie Hickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libbie-hickman/) > [Meditating is easier than most people think. Start by focusing and following your breath. The goal is not to eliminate thoughts entirely but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-howes/meditating-is-easier-than-most-people-think-start-by-focusing-and/) [Lewis Howes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-howes/) > [Stop focusing on what you cant do, focus on what God can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/stop-focusing-on-what-you-cant-do-focus-on-what-god-can-do/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [“Stop focusing on the bad stuff because life is too damn short.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/stop-focusing-on-the-bad-stuff-because-life-is-too-damn-short/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) ## 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": "Stop focusing on what happened before and start focusing on what's happening NOW.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sonya Parker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/stop-focusing-on-what-happened-before-and-start-focusing-on-what-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Focus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/stop-focusing-on-what-happened-before-and-start-focusing-on-what-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/sonya-parker-80_focus_stop-focusing-on-what-happened-before-an_1564452.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/sonya-parker-80_focus_stop-focusing-on-what-happened-before-an_1564452.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/sonya-parker-80_focus_stop-focusing-on-what-happened-before-an_1564452.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Stop focusing on what happened before and start focusing on what's happening NOW.” — 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": "Stop focusing on what happened before...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/stop-focusing-on-what-happened-before-and-start-focusing-on-what-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/stop-focusing-on-what-happened-before-and-start-focusing-on-what-s/#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 } } ] } ```