The way we were.

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Memories, like the corners of my mind...  Most everyone, or at least anyone from my generation has heard this song before.  We often think about past times in our lives, some good, some bad, and some that we would just like to forget about.  We can look back on things and if we are wise learn from them and realize that they have all appeared to us for a very specific purpose.

What I want to share with you today is a very important lesson that I learned sometime ago, but it has served me well and it will provide you a means to get out of the rut you might be in, and help you move on with those things that need to come about in your life.

Let me first say that what you have always thought about things needs to change.  These thoughts are sometimes along the lines of "I'll never get away from this situation", "Why do bad things always follow me?", and "If only things were different, I would....."  Just because you have been a certain way in the past, does not mean you are forever it the grasp of these things unable to loose yourself.  The way we were is not a life sentence for how you will be in the future.  We can look in a mirror and see a reflection, but that is just what it is a reflection.  When you look at your life, what you see is a reflection.  However, these images can change, and if you are willing to look at things differently, then change is what will come about for you.

I have learned a lot over the last twenty or thirty years, and I can assure you that I do not want to go back to the days when I was an egocentric, pampas ass.  I thought the world revolved around me, and if you ever got in my way of accomplishing the things I desired to accomplish, I was going to run over you and never look back.  It was all about me, and I didn't care what others wanted, what they needed, or even who they were.  I was only interested in people who were interested in me and helping me get what I wanted.  I had friends, but not friends like I have today.  My friends back then were only tools, pawns lets say, in helping me get what I wanted.  I was good at playing the game, and I would do anything to come out on top.  I am not proud of who I was back then, but I did learn several valuable lessons, and I am very thankful that I have turned things around and now realize that its not about me any longer, but rather them.  It's about others and what I can do to help others maximize their strengths and talents and become the person they were designed to be.

The way you were, is not the person you are now.  I know that because if you were still the same person you would not be reading this right now, and it would not be resonating with you as it is.  You have a desire to move forward in those things that you desire, but the desire is not so much about you, but what you can do for others.  This is the change that has to take place, the shift in your thinking, and the change in your mindsets and beliefs.  It is only when you come to an understanding of your place in the universe that you are able to assume your rightful place, and then you can lay to rest past images of who you thought you were, and begin to see yourself as you truly are.

Many, many people are trapped in the past.  Some stay trapped because at least they know the territory.  Their fear of the unknown is what keeps them bound and unable to move forward.  If you want to unchain yourself from the past, then you have to accept the notion that there is a future, and even though you may not know what direction or what avenue you will take, you have a journey to begin.  Something that always amazes me are people who will bemoan their current situation, but at the same time do nothing to extricate themselves from it.  Is their fear of the unknown so great that they would rather stay in a lousy situation?  I don't know about you, but I've had my fill of lousy situations and I'm more then ready to shed the past and move forward into brighter times.  It comes down to one thing and one thing only:  do you want to be the person you were created to be?  You may not have a full understanding of what this person looks like, or even what this person is supposed to be doing, but do you want to begin your journey of discovery and get out of the lousy situation you might be in?  If your answer is yes, then you have to begin to see yourself the way your creator sees you, and not the way you see your reflection in the mirror.

The way you were is not important.  What's important is to see yourself as the divine creation you are, and realize that what God has designed is not imperfect but splendid in all areas.  I know I tend to beat a dead horse from time to time, but if you are never able to accept the perfection of your design, the perfection of you being here right now, then all the motivation in the world, all the nice words, and all the encouragement, is not going to add up to a tinker;s hurrah.  It is time to put the past to bed, and pick up on your future.  The first step is to get past the past, and move forward into the future.  A future I might add, that is bright, happy, full of peace and joy, and it is the place that you have always been entitled to.  The way you were is not nearly as important as the way you are right now, and the way you will be in the future.  I look forward to hearing about your future, as it is just as important to me as it should be to you.