Part of what intimidates us about changing our lifestyle is that it isn’t “who we are.” Even when we genuinely want to change, we fear we'll come off fake or phoney to those around us. We have a fear that we’ll be somehow exposed for doing something we would not normally done. It's as if it is frowned upon for one to change their lifestyle. But, what is the basis for this fear? And how do we overcome it?
Realize that we can truly be whoever we want to be, and change however we want to change, but more importantly, we all need to understand this fact: our past does not define our future.
Whatever your mistakes, your failures, your shortcomings - they are behind you. Unchanging, unrelenting, and sometimes overpowering. We need only address the first word there though - unchanging. No matter what you do or think or say, no matter the lessons you’ve learned or the hardships you’ve endured, you cannot change what lies behind you. That only leaves what we can change - today, tonight, and this moment. People spend their entire lives shouldering the burden of some past mistake, like a ruined marriage, a lost lover, a failed business venture. We let our past halt our future. Whatever the case may be, the cure is the same: forgiveness.
Forgive others if they have wronged you. Forgive yourself if you have wronged others. Now I know this is easier said than done! Withholding forgiveness and harboring regret is like walking around with 100 blocks of cement on your back. It's difficult. It weighs you down. It affects almost everything you do. When you slowly start to forgive yourself and others, and when you begin to release feelings of regret, you start shedding these cement blocks. It's difficult at first - the load is heavy and it's been with you for so long - but with each fallen cement block comes relief, and it feels good. It becomes easier and easier to shed this dead weight, and you become lighter and happier, optimistic and hopeful. Make the decision to rid yourself of this excess and unnecessary emotional baggage.
Choosing to live without regrets doesn't mean you think you are perfect. It doesn't mean you think you are above those who may still harbor regrets. It means you've decided not to let missed or past opportunities and decisions affect your present or future. It means you've decided to let go of the destructive energy and thoughts that come with regret in order to replace them with the constructive energy and thoughts that come with forgiveness. It means you recognize that housing negative energy is SIMPLY NOT WORTH IT. Go forth with confidence that what is done is done, and that it does not dictate what you can accomplish moving forward. Release the weight of regret, embrace the freedom of forgiveness, and find yourself with a new, reinvigorated view of what is to come.
