Two of Australia’s indigenous creatures, kangaroos and emus, have something in common – they seldom move backward. Kangaroos, because of the shape of their body and the length of their strong tail, can bounce along with forward movement, but they cannot easily shift into reverse. Emus can run fast on their strong legs, but the joints in their knees seem to make backward movement difficult. Both animals appear on Australia’s coat of arms as a symbol that the nation is to be ever moving forward and making progress.

There is a similar approach to the life of a safety pro. I cannot think of a time when I have arrived at a conclusion of safety excellence with nothing left to do. One thing we have in common is a journey that doesn’t concern itself with what is behind us. Rather, we are to strive toward a goal of those things which are ahead. While it is wise to learn from the past, we shouldn’t live in the past. We cannot redo or undo the past, but we can press forward to serve our profession’s focus on protecting the lives of those we serve today and in the future. Ours is a journey forward.

The Doc