How to Use Your Past (as a Super Power)
Birth of Clarity #3
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Anyway, here we go…
Yesterday is in the past and tomorrow is not guaranteed.
I always try and remind myself of this when I'm not living in the present.
But our past can help shape our present & our future.
Learning from the past
There are lots of people that will tell you dwelling on the past will have you potentially ‘staying there'.
But I'm telling you that you need to dive into it and use it as an asset.
There is so much you can learn about yourself.
There is so much untapped knowledge from your past that if you truly dissect it, you’ll take your personal growth to another level.
A handy way to do this is to write down a certain thing that happened in the past that you want to look at today and then, pick it apart.
Don’t spend too long on it but have a look at your part in it, what could you have done better or maybe, what you did well. Have a look at it a few different ways and see if you can gain any new information from the situation.
Use it as a motivator to not repeat any past mistakes or to push you to become better than you’ve ever been before.
Super Power
I would class my past as a superpower.
It’s not often, in your own life, that when the dust truly settles on something you can look at it from a fresh set of eyes. True introspection can be achieved but only when it will not harm you and when you are not dwelling on any old emotions for too long.
You can learn about past behaviours. What made you act in a certain way? What made you do the thing(s) you did in a particular scenario?
There is so much in the past to learn and draw strength from, if you ask yourself the right questions.
It is there to guide you
It is there to teach you
It is there to shape you
Practical advice
Why not try an exercise where you delve into your past for a few minutes?
Choose a specific event.
Write it down and try to identify:
How you felt - specific emotions such as Fear, Jealousy, Anger, Compassion, Love…
What you did wrong
What you did right
What could you have done better
How did you act
What was your part in it
What can I learn
How can it benefit me today
Do I owe anyone an apology
This is a worthwhile exercise to try and if you do then please let me know.
I've done it on a few issues and it has worked wonders in revealing things I hadn't realised at the time.
Conclusion
Ultimately, despite what you can learn & use from your past, you need to keep moving forward.
You need to move on.
But if you can move on and move forward with more knowledge gathered from past mistakes or past experiences then why not try doing it.
Use your past as your super power.
And let this be your Birth of Clarity.
Take care,