I love this quote so much. “Your future needs you. Your past does not.” Such a powerful and true statement. We all have a past littered with mistakes, some large, some small and some life altering. I have such a tendency to hold myself hostage when I mess up, sometimes I can’t get out of my own way. I tend to punish myself above and beyond what the situation requires, the punishment doesn’t fit the crime.
Here’s what I’ve come to understand about past mistakes. 1) you cannot change the action, but you can change the outcome. Take ownership, apologize, and move on. 2) they will hold you hostage if you allow them to. Past mistakes will haunt you for the rest of your life if you allow them to. You will live your entire life with a past mindset and a heart full of regret if you do not handle them properly. 3) you are so much more than the mistakes you’ve made. We have such a tendency to place our mistakes under a microscope. We measure all of our successes against our failures and decide we are not qualified. 4) humans make mistakes. Sweet friends, we have to give ourselves and others the grace to make mistakes. We are human, it is in our nature. Even the most well intentioned of us all have missteps sometimes. 5) mistakes only define you if you allow them to. Our mistakes, and our past have as much power as we allow them to. Shift your focus to the future, forgive and press forward.
Sweet friends, I’m one of those people who believe people really can change. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve seen people transform into beautiful people after messing things up tremendously. The difference maker is ownership. If someone, including yourself, owns their mistakes and takes action on their own to change, support that. They are headed in the right direction. Own your mistakes, but don’t allow them to define you. Breath in, breath out and let them go. They’ve held you for long enough, it’s time to move forward.
I can’t do anything about the past, but I can do something about the future. I can learn from every mistake I make and carry that lesson with me. I can learn and grow instead of punishing myself and staying stuck. Don’t live in the past sweet friends, it doesn’t need you anymore. Do what you need to do to make amends and move forward, your beautiful life is waiting for you. Much love and growth through mistakes sweet friends.
