Most of us have said, "if I knew then what I know now, things would be different." Perhaps. During my journey I have realized some things must happen as part of our maturation. The outcomes of certain choices and decisions were not desired, but the lessons learned were integral to our development as adults personally, and professionally.
Everyone has a past that enlarges with each day. Learning from the past yields wisdom. Living in the past brings loss. Many people are unable to let their past go, or the past of others. The scars that remain from traumatic life events hold them captive, unable to move forward and see the greatness of their future. Some people speak of past events as though they happened yesterday, when then and now are separated by years.
The past should be your classroom, not your courthouse. If you are content in reminding yourself and others of mistakes, you will never experience life in its fullness. The bitterness of betrayal, rejection, and abandonment will haunt your soul and blur your vision, often causing you to miss blessings right in front of you. Wise people learn from their mistakes and work hard not to repeat them. People who live in fear, doubt, and insecurity, hold onto the past because it is the only thing they are certain about. The past is all they see when they look at themselves and others.
Here are some important tips to help you get free from the bondage and captivity of your past.
Let it go. You cannot change the things that negatively impacted your life. Learn from those events and use them to make you better. Holding onto your past, or the past of others, makes you spiritually, mentally and emotionally ill.
Don't bring up the past of others. People don't need any reminders of their mistakes. If you continually bring up past failures of others, you send a false message to them that they cannot change or move on. It also means you have not moved on.
Stop pretending. Proud people have an exalted view of self. This means they want to be perceived as perfect. Perfect does not mean without faults. It means mature. Mature people make unselfish decisions each day to do what makes them, and those they love, better.
Tell your story as often as you have opportunity. The lessons learned from your past are meant to be shared, not archived. You have the ability to help others avoid life mistakes by sharing what you learned from yours. Do not be ashamed to tell your story, especially if you are alive to tell it.
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