“The past will be your teacher if you learn from it; your master if you live in it.” – Dr. Steve Maraboli
Every one has a past. Some are more colorful than others, and some we would simply rather forget and keep trapped in the abyss of our minds. After all it’s the past right? Well yes and no.
Although it probably feels better to forget our host of poor choices, that seemed to invade our lives like the flu, they have also come to teach us wonderful lessons. Lessons that typically, and often very specifically, leave an indelible impression on our hearts and minds for years on end.
These lessons reach far beyond book knowledge, often the best advice and even professional counseling in some cases. Lessons that speak to us like a wise parent offering clear direction, astute insight and seemingly insider intelligence to a very complex situation.
The problem with a past we’d rather forget is just that. We deliberately forget it, and attempt to place the remnants of it far away, due to shame, pain and a host of other things that come along with poor judgement calls.
Yet there is so much wealth there for the taking. So much potential for deeper understanding, growth and learning. It just depends on the perspectives we carry, our ability to see past the moment, coupled with our choice to be courageous. Because acting on fear will quickly take us away from our opportunity to experience our learning moment.
Most lessons come with a price, so why not choose to make that cost an investment into yourself. Learn it, use it and apply it for the future. It will not fail you. It will, (the lessons) become your guiding light in dark places, your courage in a fearful moment and your wisdom as you face complex scenarios.
Everyone has a story. Some go very deep while others trail on the surface of life for years or even decades, yet they all have a way of defining a significant part of our lives. They shape us, formulate our thoughts, impact our outlook and affect the most important relationships we have. Yet they can also take us down if we allow them to run their course without intervention, and this is where many of us find ourselves. In a place of chaos and confusion, attempting to rebuild what we destroyed or perpetuated the demise of.
But what once tried to destroy us can now become our greatest ally. If we listen to the voice of truth that often quietly, yet persistently speaks to us from the depths of earned knowledge, we can be set free from the bondage that entrapped us. We can begin to not only see our greatness, but begin to act on how great and awesome we really are.
The past will in some ways always be a part of who we are, but as we learn from it, it does not necessarily preclude a death sentence for our future. There is hope, we just need to stay focused, remain vigilant about our next steps and always realize the greatness that lies within.
Keep Pressing,
Hank G