The Windshield is Bigger than the Rear View Mirror for a Reason
Growth comes from what’s in front of you, not what’s behind you.
There’s a reason every car is designed the way it is. The windshield dominates your field of vision, while the rear view mirror is small and off to the side. Both matter—but they serve different purposes.
The rear view mirror gives you context. It lets you check what’s behind, notice patterns, or be aware of potential risks sneaking up on you. Without it, you’d drive blind to the lessons of the road. But it’s small for a reason: if you stared at it too long, you’d lose track of where you’re going.
The windshield, on the other hand, is massive. It stretches wide and tall, pulling your focus to what’s in front of you. It reminds us that forward is the primary direction. Yes, the past matters. But the future is what matters most.
This metaphor applies everywhere—at work, in leadership, in personal growth.
In teams: We can’t keep measuring ourselves only by what we’ve already done. Post-mortems and lessons learned are valuable, but they’re just checkpoints. What matters more is setting our eyes on the road ahead and asking, Where are we going next?
In careers: It’s tempting to replay past decisions—what you should have said, what you could have done differently. But careers are built on momentum. You only get there by looking through the windshield, not obsessing over the rear view.
In life: Mistakes and regrets are like potholes you hit behind you. You can learn from them, but you can’t un-hit them. The bigger question is: how do you adjust your path moving forward?
I try to remind myself of this often. The rear view mirror is there to glance at, not to stare into. The windshield is bigger because what’s ahead of us deserves more attention than what’s behind us.
So maybe the real lesson is this: respect the past, but don’t get stuck in it. Your best days, your biggest growth, and your most important impact opportunities are still out in front of you.