Leaving the Past Behind

A new day has dawned. The early morning light was so bright that it nudged me awake through closed eyelids, urging me to wake up and begin my day.

Some days beginning again is easier than other days.

Other days it seems as if yesterday’s failures and disappointments have followed us into our tomorrows. 

                Too often our tendency is to look backward and wonder, what if?

But we can’t let regrets and painful memories keep us stuck in the past. Each and every day is a new beginning, and we can’t move forward if we allow ourselves to feel stuck in the past.

There is great freedom in being in control of our thoughts. We can choose where to focus our attention. It takes practice, a lot of practice, to change behaviors we've held so long. Think about the tremendous amount of energy we waste when we dwell on past events. What's done is done. We simply cannot change what has passed. We can learn from the past, but we must move forward. 

Reliving past hurts and disappointments leaves us wallowing in the misery of the painful emotions we experienced. Why keep ourselves tied up in painful memories?

It’s time to break free! 

We can make the choice to leave the past where it belongs, in the past, and focus our thoughts on where we are now and the direction we want to be going.

It does us no good to berate ourselves for past mistakes. We need to make the choice to move forward, breaking the pattern of dwelling on past mistakes and instead choose to look ahead, to the future!

We have only one chance to make our lives what we want them to be. If we waste time in the past, we are wasting our present. We need to live now, for this moment will never come again.

We can focus our thoughts on what we might want to improve in our lives. Then we can make a plan that will focus our your energy on something we can control. The only thing we have control over -- ourselves.

Much of the time, our lives feel out of our control.  We have so many demands on our time that it can be overwhelming. The one thing we can learn to have control over is our thoughts. It takes practice and focus to be in control, sometimes repeatedly pushing negative or unwanted thoughts away, sometimes out loud! Through controlling our thoughts we gain empowerment. And through empowerment we are inspired to keep moving forward.

When we feel in control of our thoughts, we feel more confident and assertive in our decision-making. 






We are able to move forward, keeping our focus where it needs to be, 
living in the moment 
and finding joy in the discovery of what each day has to offer.