Letting Go of the Past and Focusing on NOW

We all have stories from the past we fondly remember. There are memories we want to keep forever and enjoy sharing with others.

A favorite story of mine happened when I was about five years old. Whenever we would have friends and relatives over for dinner, my parents would let me stay up late and sing my favorite songs to them. So there I was standing in the middle of the living room singing my little heart out. I adored the attention, applause and hugs they gave me. This is a story I can still remember so clearly. I think it’s one of the reasons I love leading to people.

Then there are the unpleasant stories we carry around with us that we’re unwilling to let go of. An event happens that negatively impacts our thoughts and feelings about ourselves. We hold onto these stories for so long, we believe they’re true. These stories keep us from appreciating what we have in the present because we believe it will happen again. So we stop taking risks for fear that what happened in the past will happen again. It affects how we communicate, relate to others, grow our businesses, and even stops us from going after all the things we really want.

I can remember a story I held onto for many years. I grew up in a family of five brothers and sisters. I was the youngest one in the family. I can remember having dinner on Sundays with my family and my oldest brother telling me to “Keep quiet, eat your dinner, nobody is interested in what you have to say.” Being the youngest, I believed what he said was the true. Nobody was really interested in what a little girl had to say. So I stopped speaking up. If I did say something, I spoke very quickly or I’d say what I thought you wanted to hear.

Through the years, not speaking up had a huge impact on my life. I was afraid to say what I thought and ask for what I wanted. In fact, I’d say what I thought you wanted to hear. If someone did something that upset me, I wouldn’t say anything. I would withdraw and be silent. I had no voice.

I was committed to breaking through this barrier. I thought about what my brother said. He had said what he said and nothing more. I had added all the meaning to it. Having this insight was a huge breakthrough for me. I was free again. I had found my voice. I was no longer a five-year old little girl without a voice. I had something to say that mattered. From that point on, my life changed forever. I left a job I had been at for 10 years, where I did not express myself, and went to work for a training company. There I was trained to lead workshops and help people learn to speak up. I had found my voice and was now fulfilling my dream!

These stories have been holding us back for years. We allowed something that happened a long time ago to keep us from growing and reaching our full potential.

Remember this—Successful people create each day newly. They never allow past events to stop them. And it makes perfect sense. Whatever has happened in the past is over. Just because it may have been a disappointing experience does not mean it will happen again.

When you believe it will happen again, you are sending a message to your subconscious that “I believe I will fail again.” You are giving power to something that happened in the past. And, what you believe will happen, will happen.

People that know they are responsible for creating their own successes will learn from past experiences, make the changes, and get into action.

What do successful people all have in common?

• They left the past in the past.
  
  
• They’ve created their lives newly.
  
  
• Giving up is not in their vocabulary.
  
  
• They live their lives from three words…Yes, I can!
  
  
• They’ve had to overcome struggles and adversity throughout their lives but it’s only made them stronger.
  
  
• They have a HUGE life purpose.
  
  
• They are focused, intentional, and committed.
  
  
• They believe in themselves and their purpose.
  
  
• They see life as a place where anything is possible rather than impossible.
  

When you let go of the past, you’re then free to create anything you want. It’s as if you have a clean canvas and from the clean canvas you can paint your life newly. You’re no longer held back by something that happened long ago and is over.

Eckhart Tolle writes in his book, A New Earth, “…nothing ever happened in the past that can prevent you from being present now. We can learn to break the habit of accumulating and perpetuating old emotions regardless of whether something happened yesterday or thirty years ago. We can learn not to keep situations or events alive in our minds but to return our attention continuously to the present.”

The past can only stop you if you choose to allow it to stop you. The past event has nothing to do with who you are in the present. What happened in the past, is over. We only have right now. And, right now, you get to say how you want your life to go.

So, what can you do to let go of the past? You can focus on NOW! What is it that you want to have in your life right now? All we have right now is this moment. Be present to your life right now—this moment. We don’t know what’s in the future. When you create what you want in your life now, you’re creating a new future.

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