Several weeks ago, I posted the following: Don’t limit yourself because of past realities. Who you are right now is someone you’ve never been before. You have no real idea what wonders you’re capable of manifesting. One sweet person left this comment: Thank you Scott, but in my past I was so happy, now I feel lost. I have some thoughts about this… No matter how you view your past—as a joyous or painful time in your life—I recommend using it to your advantage in the present. If you long for your past and for the person you once were, know this: You are still that person. Every joy, every ounce of courage, every piece of wisdom you had lives within you still. Right now. The fact that you’re not experiencing the happiness you once did in no way suggests you won’t be happy again. If anything, it suggests the opposite. You have experienced happiness firsthand, which means you know how to be happy. This is a gift. Be grateful that you can look upon some part of your past with longing. How lucky you are to have lived such a life. And be grateful that you have every opportunity to live within happiness again, because happiness is always living within you. Right now, inside you. If, however, you think upon past events with sadness and regret, if they keep you from believing in yourself and in your ability to make different choices with different, gentler outcomes, then know this: You are not that person, and your past actions don’t define who you are right now. This, too, is a gift. Be grateful you were able to survive whatever struggles life dropped on you. You are here right now, continuing to move forward against many odds. You are someone who has not lost hope, or you wouldn’t be reading affirmations and searching for positive influences. Your past has inspired your desire for growth. You are still that person. You are not that person. Yes, it’s a contradiction. So much of life is. We are all everything—beautiful to ugly, loving to hateful, accepting to judgmental. Let’s use the contradictions to our advantage, for our healing and growth. With the past specifically, it’s okay to take what you need to be more fully realized in the present. The joy has served you. The pain has served you. One is a reminder of your potential, the other of your resilience. It’s time to accept both. But try hard not to live in the past. That will never serve you. We only have the present. The past can be a wonderful tool for helping to find peace in the now, but it can never replace living in the now. And why would it? The past has happened, it’s been determined. The present, however, is ripe with possibility, unfolding before us every second, inviting us all the time to create whatever life it is we want for ourselves.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 21:30:09 +0000
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