letting go of past

 

 

Letting Go Of The Past – 7 Steps To Help You Move Forward

 

Want to know the secret to letting go of the past? Here are 7 ways to better understand yourself by examining the past.

 

 

Let’s chat about letting go of the past.

Even though I don’t often recommend you spend too much time focused on rehashing the past (and instead keep your eyes on the future), sometimes you can better understand yourself by examining your past.

Here’s the thing: your present is intricately connected to your past, just as your future is connected and determined by the beliefs, thoughts, and actions you take TODAY.

 

Though it’s important to avoid living in the past, you can still use the past to your advantage.

 

 

To understand how your past has influenced the person you’ve become ask yourself these questions:

 

 

LETTING GO OF THE PAST QUESTION

1 – What was your childhood like?

 

How did your parents treat you?

What was your experience like at school?

Did you have a lot of friends?

Did you go to church?

How did you use playtime?

 

  • Think about your best and worst experiences. How have those influenced your life? Did you have a bad experience in gym class that turned you off of sports?
  • Were you bullied? Did you become a scientist because you received a lot of recognition for your success in high school science classes? What are the memories etched into your memory – both the good and the bad?

 

LETTING GO OF THE PAST QUESTION

2 – Make a list of your biggest failures.

 

Choose the top 10 failures and leave the others alone for another time.

 

LETTING GO OF THE PAST QUESTION

3 – Why did those challenges occur?

 

Now think about where you might have gone wrong?

Did you fail to make a wise decision?

Did you give up to quickly?

Did you act without thinking or without enough information?

 

  • Examining your failures is an excellent way to prevent the same mistakes from reoccurring throughout your lifetime.
  • Examine your mistakes so you can avoid making the same mistakes again in the future.

 

 

LETTING GO OF THE PAST QUESTION

4 – Make a list of the things you don’t like about your life.

 

Maybe you don’t like your job, your house, or your physique.

What happened in the past to lead to those negative circumstances?

What mistakes did you make that caused these situations to arise?

Can these circumstances have been prevented?

 

  • Can you see how a few changes could lead to a big difference in the future?
  • What are the likely outcomes if you fail to change today?

 

 

LETTING GO OF THE PAST QUESTION

5 – Examine the major categories of your life.

 

Let’s take a look at a few examples including: finances, family life, social life, and health.

Consider your present circumstances and then look to the past to find the roots of your behaviors and beliefs that led to your current situation.

 

  • For example, maybe you don’t save money because your parents never saved money.
  • Maybe your mom was always spending her money frivolously and saving money seemed like a futile effort.
  • Now that you know the cause of your belief, show yourself how these circumstances don’t apply any more.
  • Give yourself permission to make the change you desire. You don’t have to repeat the same mistakes of your parents.

 

LETTING GO OF THE PAST QUESTION

6 – Consider your relationships.

 

Why did you choose your spouse?

Do you not have a spouse at all?

Is this by choice?

How have your childhood and past relationships affected your current relationships?

What expectations do you have about your current relationships that were formed by the relationships you witnessed growing up?

 

LETTING GO OF THE PAST QUESTION

7 – Choose to let go of the things that are holding you back.

 

Striking out at the league championship in fourth grade is not a good reason to shy away from sports or the spotlight.

And making an embarrassing blunder during a speech in middle school is not a reason to avoid public speaking for the rest of your life.

 

In the end your past has a huge influence on the person you become.

 

But that doesn’t mean you can’t let go of the negative things from the past that are tainting your present and your future.

Remember the past is gone and all those old memories now only exist as words in your head.

 

FYI: You can choose to think whatever thoughts you like about those past experiences.

 

While it’s not wise to live in the past, it is smart to examine your past to gain a better understanding of your present situation and the person you’ve become.

Use your past to your advantage and then let it go.

Each day is a new day.

It’s time to always look forward but at the same time, be grateful for the lessons of the past.

 

 

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