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What’s Weighing You Down?
Life is a beautiful thing. It really is. But not every moment of every day is perfect. That’s not reality. Sometimes life gives us challenges. Maybe it’s the circumstances we were born into. Possibly a relationship we chose. You were passed up for a promotion at work or didn’t get into the school of your choice. Someone was rude to you at the grocery store, or cut you off on the highway (road rage anyone?). Or, any other myriad of possible scenarios. No matter the details, life is life. The question here is, are you holding on to anything that hurt you in the past? Are you allowing negative circumstances, situations, experiences, words, or even negative people to hold you back from a brighter today? How can we move forward if we keep looking back? Think about it. Maybe write it down. Then, let it go.
Leave the Past in the Past
It’s time for me to admit something. I am not a time traveler. I have no foreseeable way to go back and change anything that has happened in my past. Shocker, right? No. Of course not. So why would I allow anything that happened in my past control or direct my future? The only true benefit we can obtain from anything negative in our past is to learn from it and allow it to help us make better choices in the future. Or, if it was something outside of our control, allow that to inspire us to do better. Think better. Live better. Be better.
We are each given the same 86,400 seconds each day. How many of those precious seconds do we want to spend thinking about something we can’t change? Never ruin a good today by thinking about a bad yesterday. Let it go.
Let. It. Go.
You will never be given another today. This is it. You get one shot. Don’t waste your precious time thinking about things or people that hurt you. Don’t contemplate too long on circumstances that were beyond your control. Let. It. Go. Do you want to ponder on the negative of yesterday. or imagine the possibilities of tomorrow? It’s up to you, to me…to us. Take a moment. Make a decision. What will you give your energy to this week?
I hope this post has helped someone be intentional about letting go of the things of the past that can weigh us down. If you need someone to be a listening ear, or a place to express yourself in this process, please feel free to comment below. I will respond in kind.
Find more inspirational Mindset Monday posts here.
Lightening the load,
Jessi(ca) 🙂
*If you found this or any of my posts informative, inspirational, or entertaining on any level, I would appreciate you sharing with others via the social media buttons at the top of the post! Thanks in advance! #sharingiscaring
31 Comments
Very inspirational! Thank you for that, sometimes you need to hear it from someone else 🙂
March 19, 2018 at 7:36 pmThank you! Exactly right, Melanie! Reminders from others are always helpful! 🙂
March 22, 2018 at 11:10 amGreat post, very good advice!
March 19, 2018 at 7:49 pmThanks so much, Heather!
March 22, 2018 at 11:11 am84,600 precious seconds! I just said that in my post 2 days ago 🙂
March 19, 2018 at 8:28 pmAlso I just had an amazing conversation about letting the past go. And just watched a video another Jessica made with the same vibe! Jessica’s align, lol.
Yay for the Jessica’s!!! 🙂 It’s just soooo true though. How much time have we all wasted on things, people, thoughts that aren’t even relevant or are completely out of our control? #toomuch
March 22, 2018 at 11:14 amThank you for your inspirational words! For so long I had lived with the false belief system of “I can forgive, but can’t forget what so-and-so did to me.” The truth is you can’t truly forgive or move on without forgetting. I refuse to be a slave to negativity ever again. I hope you have a blessed week!
March 19, 2018 at 8:50 pmGreat decision Frankie! Don’t let anyone or anything hold you back any longer! Onward and upward!
March 22, 2018 at 11:15 amI needed this. It couldn’t be more true. The only person you are holding down is yourself when you can’t ‘Let it go”
March 19, 2018 at 9:15 pmEXACTLY! We are the ones that suffer from our own negative thoughts. And only we can change it. #nomore
March 22, 2018 at 11:16 amGreat post and reminder! I learned a technique from a therapist years ago about letting go of the negative that I still use pretty often. You write down all the negative thoughts. Just scribble them down doesn’t matter how it looks. Once you get it all out, pick up the paper and literally tear it up! Tear it up and throw it away. That has been the best way I have found to let go of things (especially things that aren’t in my control!)
March 19, 2018 at 9:49 pmThis is a highly recommended and very beneficial technique. Everybody should try it on a regular basis. Good stuff!
March 22, 2018 at 11:18 amI love the idea of Mindset Monday! This is a very good reminder of the power we have to make or break our own day with our perspective 🙂
March 19, 2018 at 11:52 pmYep, and Monday is a great time to do it! Get’s our week off to a great start!
March 22, 2018 at 11:19 am“how many of those precious seconds do you want to spend thinking about things we can’t change?”
March 20, 2018 at 6:03 amSo convicting!! I do this way too often, I still go back over conversations I have had with my dad, a good friend, an argument in Jr high – coming up with all the things I should have said, getting angry with the person all over again for not understanding me… And it happens so fast, I end up spending more time trying to calm myself back down than it took for me to get worked up!!
Let. It. Go!
The more we practice being aware of our thoughts and changing them when needed, the better and quicker we become in the process. The minute you catch yourself in a negative thought pattern, immediately begin to speak words of affirmation over the situation and surround yourself with those positive words. Our ears need to hear this so our brains can process it as true and accurate information. You’ve got this!
March 22, 2018 at 11:22 amEnjoyed this advice. I’m working on creating joy in each day and letting the negative go.
March 20, 2018 at 7:23 amThank you Dawn. It’s a process, right? All we can do is take it one step at a time, one day at a time.
March 22, 2018 at 11:23 amI needed to read this today! My Tuesday is not off to a great start so I’m resetting my thoughts and starting fresh!
March 20, 2018 at 11:09 amMelanie!!! I hope your week has been going better than your Tuesday might have began. Find every positive thing (big or small) in every part of your day and focus on it. What we focus on becomes bigger. Find your sunshine!
March 22, 2018 at 11:25 amI was just talking to my Aunt today about forgetting the past. I don’t like to waste the energy being upset or angry about it. While we can’t fully forget it, we can put it where it belongs. In the past.
March 20, 2018 at 6:50 pmRight, Rosie? In. The. Past. Learn from it and move on!
March 22, 2018 at 11:25 amIf this is the type of posts that your blog features, it is one I want to follow. Nice job!
March 20, 2018 at 7:04 pmThank you so much Linda! My heart’s desire is to inspire others to live their best life now, and for me to do the same in the process! 🙂
March 22, 2018 at 11:26 amMonday’s are always my hardest days. Thank you for the inspiration and motivation to enjoy them just a little more.
March 26, 2018 at 11:40 amWe all need that little pick-me-up every now and then. Have a great weekend!
March 30, 2018 at 11:30 amLove this, it’s only something I only just recently figured out and it’s made a huge difference in my life. Thanks for a great read.
March 31, 2018 at 2:38 pmThank you Bianca. We can do this, once choice at a time! 🙂
March 31, 2018 at 3:02 pmLetting things go has always been a huge challenge for myself, as well as those I am closely involved with. It’s something that needs to be addressed but is easily forgotten. Thank you for sharing.
April 2, 2018 at 11:02 amThis was so helpful. I’m not usually one to dwell on the past but I definitely let frustrations of the day ruin the attitude I have for the rest of the day. I need to let it go and move in with the day.
April 2, 2018 at 4:35 pmSam- Thiswaymommy
April 5, 2018 at 9:12 amThis posts rings so true. We truly have to learn to let things go in order to create a better picture for the future. Alot of times we harbour things from the past which totally weigh us down.