Acceptance: Owning your Past so you can Mold your Future.
Have you ever sat in silence and thought if I could take that one moment back things would be different? Maybe thought to yourself if only I had known better maybe life would be different? Or maybe thought if I could go back in time and change that one thing the outcome would change how I’m living now?
“Acceptance is a road traveled on a long journey to happiness.”
Regrets of the past are like an anchor.
Regrets of the past are like an anchor holding us down and blocking forward movement. When we hold on to the thoughts of guilt, anger, sorrow, and the “what if’s” of the past we’re unknowingly missing out on opportunities to use what we’ve learned to mold a brighter future. I have been guilty of this in many instances in my life and I struggled with letting go of the mistakes I made.
If you are like me, the problem is acceptance. I was and I still am brutal when it comes to judging myself. So, accepting past mistakes and letting go was hard. I kept beating myself up and thinking I could have done better, I should have known better. For me, acceptance was a road traveled on a long journey to happiness.
Do you beat yourself up over past mistakes? Do have a hard time accepting what happened in situations of the past? Well, it’s time to Own your past so that you can be a better you.
It’s time to own your past.
Ok, so you don’t like the things that has happened in your past. You may be ashamed or hurt or even angry about it. But, I want you to ask yourself, “is there anything in your thoughts that’s going to change what happened?” “Is there anything that you can do today that will change things?” Well, I’m sorry but, It’s impossible to turn back the hands of time, it just can’t be done.
So, what can you do here and now that will change the way you’re feeling about the past? Accept that it happened.
It’s time to own your past. First, acknowledge that you did your best at that time in your life. Accept that you did not know then what you know now. Accept that you could only do what you had the knowledge to do at that point in your life. Now, recognize that you’ve learned from it.
Your past will help you to Mold a better future.
Everything that has happened to you in the past has provided knowledge for your future. Your past has equipped you with the tools you need to never make the same mistakes again. The funny thing about life lessons is that if you don’t learn the lesson the first time, it will always present itself again somewhere in life. It may be packaged differently but, it’s the same situation. Only this time, you have the knowledge to handle it.
The wisdom you have gained from past situations is your own personal guide to a better life. Without experiences both good and bad we would never have the opportunity to grow.
[mks_pullquote align=”left” width=”300″ size=”24″ bg_color=”#aaaaaa” txt_color=”#ffffff”]”The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything”…………
Theodore Roosevelt[/mks_pullquote]Don’t look at unpleasant past situations as regrets, change your thinking and look at them as opportunities to learn and gain valuable knowledge. One of my favorite quotes is this one by Theodore Roosevelt: “The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything”…………
The knowledge that you have gained is the clay that you will use to mold the best future possible. So remember, no more regrets only gratitude for learning and coming out on the other side a wiser person.
photo credit: awuzyk Portrait 2C via photopin (license)
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This is really a great post, It’s bit emotionall but loved reading it
Thanks eazynazy….
This is such a great article! I could relate. Agree that what made us all here today are from the past. We just have to learn from past mistakes in our lives to move forward and embrace it.
Yes it does. We just have to realize it.
Really beautiful post, I am agree we your past will mold you to have a better future, I always learn with my mistakes. And if you never try you will never know
Well said Lorena! If you never try you will never know.
This post is such an eye opener. There are many times I always think what if I did things differently in the past, would it have been a better today for me? I need to work on accepting the mistakes I made, the failures, the shortcomings. These are lessons learned. I have become who I am today because of those mistakes. I am now grateful I made those mistakes.
I feel the same way Annemarie. I struggled with this in the past, but I know understand that it was all necessary in order to become a stronger better person.
I love how this is explained, really important to think about. I try to have my past and any mistakes or hard time be a learning situation. Acknowledging them and trying to turn the negative into a positive. Not getting hung up on them and moving forward is key.
I agree Emily.
So true! Your past is a great teacher. I believe that many of the things that I’ve gone through in my past helped me to be the person I am today.
Same here Latoyia.
I’ve never been one that keeps holding on to the past. I guess I’m lucky that way. I look as closed doors as an entry into something even better.
Great outlook!
I wish more people would realize this. You can’t change the past, so accept it and move on to the future.
We can’t keep running from our past for the rest of our lives. It’s really important to learn the art of acceptance. Once you accept what you’ve been through, the faster you can move forward.
That’s right Eilzabeth.
I think you should just learn from the past and try to avoid making the same mistakes over and over.
Yes Krista,
You live and you learn.
Letting go of the past is easier said than done, but just attempting it is step in the right direction
That’s right Michelle. Little steps get to the same point as big steps do.
What a great post! I’ve been working on letting go of my past so I can make the future much brighter. Thank you for this, it was perfect timing.
Thank you. I’m happy that it helps in some way Anne.
Thanks Jason.
They only way to move forward is by accepting and learning from the past. Acceptance plays a major role in this.
So true Jack. It’s very important and part of the healing process.
This is truly thought provoking. As one who regrets nearly every decision I have made, I need to learn to move on and not look back at what I lost out on, but to be happy with what I have.
Hi Terri,
I had to learn to live in the moment and let go of the past. It holds our minds hostage. I then learned that everything that happens to us is preparing us for something greater.
It’s hard for me to be upset with my ‘mistakes’ in my past…they have molded me, as you said, into the person I am now. Without those mistakes, I wouldn’t have been put on the path I live now. And I have a wonderful life, so how could that be a mistake?
That’s awesome Erin. We live and we learn.
This is so true. Accept your past, learn from it and move on. Mistakes are learning opportunities. And if you really look back on your past, you’ll see that certain things happened, which lead you to where you are now.
Yes, Stacey! Everything has a purpose and missteps are learning tools.
this is a great post, very emotional and it really does make a difference. Accepting past issues is really important. Thanks for sharing this post.
Hi Andrea,
It absolutely does make a difference for most of us.
Thanks
All the mistakes and failures I have made in the past helped make me who I am today. I wouldn’t change that for the world.
That’s awesome Robin.
Great post Toni.
Thanks!
Thanks,
I so appreciate you.
You are welcome.