You read much about why you should let go of the past. However, it’s more important to know how to do it. Most people will eventually come to grips with why they should do it. They get stuck on actually taking steps to make it happen.
Give yourself permission to let go of the past
That is an important step. Your brain can latch onto something and is waiting for you to release the responsibility. By committing to this release, your brain can focus on other productive areas. That release comes in the form of telling yourself to let go.
Learn from your past experiences. There are learning nuggets contained within your past. Anything you have done or tried before is up for grabs in the University of your past. It’s up to you to recognize what those lessons are and how to use them effectively. The way to use them is to determine why they happened and how to avoid them in the future.
Consider learning meditation. When you are relaxed, you will have an easier time of purging your past. One of the best forms of relaxation is meditation. It takes several sessions to get your body and mind in tune with the techniques. Don’t expect fast solutions with this. The key is to keep doing it until you feel the effects.
Don’t hide from your past. People try to pretend certain aspects of their past did not happen, especially the more embarrassing moments. However, this may cause them to come back to you with a vengeance since they are bottling up within you. Acknowledge everything about your past but commit to pushing forward.
Keep a journal of your experiences. Be as detailed as possible so you can refer to the journal when faced with similar circumstances in the future. Don’t treat your journal as a bible, however. Just use the journal as a guideline.
Don’t expect all changes to occur immediately. Your past habits may be difficult to break. Therefore, don’t try to change everything in one shot. Give it time. It took a long time to develop those bad habits.
If you are too hard on yourself about your past, stop. It’s okay to acknowledge that you made some mistakes but don’t get overly critical of them.
Concentrate on the good aspects of your past. Sometimes, you may focus on your mistakes and mask the fact that you had some wonderful experiences in the past as well. These are equally important.
Adjust to the Future
“When you can’t change the direction of the wind – adjust your sails,” is a quote from an inspirational writer, H. Jackson Brown, Jr, is one that has depth and meaning if there are things going on in your life that you can’t control.
The only things you can change are those which you have control over. Therefore, you need to find a way to get on with your life (adjust your sails) and look to the future rather than spending more time on what’s not working.
If a sailor knows a storm is coming from a certain direction, he or she will adjust the sails and let the wind blow them in the opposite direction. Remaining on the same course might mean being caught up in a disaster that could sink the boat.
It’s the same with your life. Continuing on a course where disaster is looming and just waiting to take you down might make it impossible for you to ever get out of the “storm,” and head on to safe passage.
It may be difficult to change a course that you’ve been on for a long time. That route is familiar and even though filled with turmoil, it can be strangely comfortable.
Taking an unknown course of action may be scary, but necessary if you’re to get on with your life and take action to make changes that will bring you success and happiness.
The first thing you must do to rid yourself of fear for the uncharted course is to stop worrying. Practice replacing negative thoughts with positive ones and soon it will become automatic.
Mentally prepare yourself by gathering knowledge about your new course of action, visualizing yourself in your new role in the future. You may still run into situations you’re unprepared for – and you may make some wrong decisions on the path – but, perseverance will get you through the dark and stormy times and guide you to safety.
Next, remove the negative elements from your life. It may be difficult because some of the negative elements might be friends, family and others, but it’s a necessary action that must happen before you can get through the present storm in your life.
Set goals, take action on them and stay the course. You’ll soon realize your dreams and desires for the future.