Dwelling on the Past
Feb 26, 2023Are you stuck dwelling over things that happened years ago? Using your precious energy to keep yourself caged by things that happened in the past that you regret?
What is that doing for you? Is it worth living there emotionally?
Instead, if you were to look at the past, try looking at it these ways:
- With a fondness and gratitude for the beautiful moments in your life. Whether it was celebrating a birthday as a child, learning to ride a bike and falling just to get right back up and ride some more, or even the precious time you had with loved ones before they passed...you can be grateful for those moments of joy and growth that you experienced in your life. This is the opposite of having a victim mentality where you are viewing all of the negative things in your past as things that "happened to you." Instead, what did you learn from those tough moments? What did those tough moments do to create your values, identity, and life's path? By being aware and reflecting on those moments in a mature way, we are able to objectively see how those moments shaped us for the better. That's the power of personal development.
- Analyze the facts and realize that you have choices to make today. What happened in your past does not determine how you act or who you are today. You have the choice each day to be better and shed yourself of those past moments. Those problems that you've had in the past are not bigger than your potential. Your problems are probably not new or not unsolvable, since billions of people have gone through similar problems. But if it is an unsolvable problem, you can still choose how you're going to react and proceed. Face your reality, and choose to move forward, because you have control of that.
- Align yourself now with the future version of yourself that you want to become. What small thing can you do today to move towards that goal? Is it studying 30 minutes on something you're interested in, or getting outside for a walk? Taking positive action now can help keep you from dwelling on the past.
Since it's Sunday, reflect on last week, plan the next week, and evaluate your habits and progress towards your goals.
Hope that left you satisfied and smiling [that's what she said],
~Sara