If lessons are not learned, history will repeat itself. Our past, present and future are linked together whether we like it or not. They are a continuous chain of events and actions taken. So when we understand this link, then we can understand how our future depends upon our past and even present day actions.
Our lives are often shaped by the choices we have made in the past but our lives don’t have to be defined by our past forever. Each new day, we have the opportunity to become a better person by making better choices. Therefore we can put ourselves on a better path destined for the hope of a better future.
People that choose to simply forget the past miss out on learning valuable lessons that can help them achieve greater potential for their lives. These past lessons can help us to grow and learn how to deal with difficult circumstances and situations. It can teach us what to do or what not to do in the future to yield better results. If we hold on to hatred towards people in our past and expect to move forward to a brighter future then each day we wake up we are going to be sadly mistaken. It’s just not possible to hold onto the past and grasp the future. It will pull you apart.
I understand that past experiences often influence our thoughts and behaviors causing us to act out of sheer emotion. We might have good reason to hate what has happened to us in the past but unfortunately that hatred can grow bitterness. Bitterness, if left alone, will then grow into ugly roots in your garden. At first you may not see those ugly vines, but if you leave them and refuse to pull them up and deal with them, don’t be surprised when they later spring up to choke out your harvest. I believe it is a lot easier to deal with the issues now than to let them keep building and gaining more ground.
I know the things that happened in your past can have a lasting effect on you mentally. These ill feelings can invade and interfere with your daily life causing anxiety and some trauma may even cause PTSD or depression. But if you can’t get over something that has happened in your past then find someone who can help you to understand and get out of dwelling on the unhealthy past you used to live in. The fact is, you don’t live there anymore. You moved on but your mind is keeping you captive to that past place. So how do you get out of that mindset of the past and live in today and hope for a better future?
Mini steps, my friend. We stop long enough to reflect on our past but we don’t dwell in it. We take responsibility for what is our responsibility. We leave all the other stuff behind because it isn’t for us to figure out. Then we take on what we can handle for today and pray for a better tomorrow.
Our past and our present all tie together to give us a better future if we can just learn from it and keep walking forward. So let go of past hurts, learn from the failures and keep hoping for a brighter tomorrow. It’s out there.
