Daily Positive Thought: Don’t let your past define you.

The past is a mental image we have created about our history. It is very easy to allow these thoughts about the mistakes and the victories of the past bubble up and dictate the way we feel about ourselves today.  It can be convenient to lose yourself in a memory, but a memory is just a thought and although we can learn from the past, living there makes for a poor reality. Today is all that you are guaranteed in this life, yesterday is gone and you can’t bring it back, tomorrow is a hope, never a promise. To live your best today, don’t let your past define you.

Leaving the Bad

Every person in the history of people has made mistakes. Some are big, and others just small misjudgments. We are all responsible for the things we do and the decisions we make, but that doesn’t mean you have to carry them with you for the rest of your life.  Admit them, see the value in the mistake and move forward in your life.  Our memories are a funny thing, we can remember things, they are not infallible. People seem to remember things exactly how they want to or need to.  Letting a memory dictate your self-esteem seems like a losing battle.

We build attachments to the events in our past, and they become a part of us, just like they become a part of our story.  The thing to remember is that as long as you are alive you are still writing your story. It is going to have the things in it you allow to have today. Learn from the past, become a better version of yourself and leave the past where it belongs.

Glory Days

There are many events of the past which were very rewarding and enjoyable.  These days are hard to leave behind because they still bring joy in our thoughts, even when times are not so good right now. But they are still just thoughts, and what you accomplished in the past, can act as nothing more than a lesson today.  To focus on it is living in a fantasy. Let it go.

Nobody is defined by their past, but by the choices we make today.  Many of them are because of our past, and the attachments we have built to it.  Each movement of your body, choice, and decision you make are what dictates who you are in the present moment. That is the extent of what you need to worry about.  What happened yesterday, ten years ago, or 25 years ago is over and done with.

Don’t let them decide who you are today. Make the choice to be the best person you can be today.  If we all make that choice, the world would be a pretty kind and interesting place.

“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.”   Johnny Cash

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”  Gautama Buddha