Leaving The Past Behind You

By Rebecca Osborn

I read this quote by Rick Warren recently that really got me thinking.

"We are products of our past, but we do not have to be prisoners of it. God's purpose is not limited by your past. He turned a murderer named Moses into a leader and a coward named Gideon into a courageous hero, and he can do amazing things with the rest of your life, too. God specializes in giving people a fresh start."

Your past is a tricky thing. It has shaped you .You are who you are today because of it. It has made you who you are. If it was difficult or painful, you cannot just cut yourself off from it. However, to be healthy, productive, and successful, you cannot stay stuck in it either.

Here are a few tips to help you break free from your past and focus on your future.

1. Choose Healthy Programming.

This may sound a bit spooky and weird, but let me explain! When you were born into this world, you were born with a "blank slate." From then on, you began receiving "programming" from your parents, teachers, church, peers, community, and media. So, a large part of your past is your programming.

As an adult with free will, you need to choose healthy, positive, healing, motivational, and inspirational programing. You need to begin reading books and listening to audio and watching movies or shows that convey the value of the human spirit and focus on the potential of mankind. This may seem awkward at first because, even though your past programming is negative and painful, you are familiar with it and even feel safe with it. But over time, you will become comfortable with positive programming. You will feel happier and you will like yourself, which will lead to more productivity and success.

CHOOSE positive, healthy, inspirational programming. Read good books, listen to good audio, watch good TV, and socialize with positive people.

2. Realise That The Past Is Over.

Another thing you need to do to get a handle on your past is to put it into perspective. Most people consider their past to be their childhood and their teenage years. OK, let's say that's 18 years. Nowadays, most people live to be 70 or 80. So that is only 25% of your life. You can CHOOSE to program yourself with positive input and make the remaining 75% of your life one that is healthy, happy, productive, and successful.

3. Realise That Your Past Does Not Determine Your Future.

It is to easy to let what has happened in the past influence what you do in the future. For example, if you failed in a certain area before and focus on that, you end up saying things in your mind like "I failed then so I will fail now," or "I am damaged goods and I will never amount to anything."

BUT You could just as truthfully say, "I choose to learn from my past. My past taught me what NOT to do. My past challenges and trials made me stronger so I can face the real world today. I went through what I did so I can help others," and so on.

Your past may have been a difficult time, but you can steps like the ones listed above to keep it from messing up your present and your future.

Your past does not have to equal your present or YOUR FUTURE.

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