Do you feel that the past "weighs you down" and does not allow you to enjoy your present and create a better future? In this article I propose 3 simple steps for you to free yourself from those ties and walk as the protagonist towards a bright future.
In many cases you may feel that your progress towards the future you dream of is hampered by the stories you have created in your mind from how you see or interpret the events of your past. I want to show you how that story, made up of interpretations and observations that come from yourself, is "pulling down" your self-esteem and putting a brake on your plans for the present.
The pain or doubts you are suffering are due to judgments and opinions that you make yourself based on what has happened to you and how it is reflected in what is happening in your life at this moment.
Today I want to challenge you to see life with different eyes and to challenge the first interpretations you are making for your life. It is in this way that you will be able to choose those beliefs and points of view that, instead of breaking your balance, will fill you with strength to face the challenges that tomorrow brings and achieve your goals.
I want you to be encouraged to create interpretations and stories that allow you to rise above those past events that stand in your way to a better future.
Here I propose a process, consisting of 3 steps, that you can follow to get rid of the toxic influence of the negative interpretations that you make of the events of your past.
1. Identify the situation in your past that is affecting you in the present.
For this I recommend looking for paper and pencil. Take note of the internal thoughts and conversations that arise in your mind when you think about those circumstances that have "touched" you deeply in the past, in that situation that makes you suffer today.
2. Make a distinction between the facts of that situation and your interpretations of it
Always keep in mind that the language you use, to speak and / or think, is what shapes reality, so you must learn to separate the facts from the interpretations.
A fact is something from your past that you cannot change, while the interpretation of that fact is subjective, it is rooted in the way you have lived / perceived / felt that fact. Do you understand the difference?
A fact could be for example: "Ana was born in 1976". We cannot change this.
An interpretation of that fact could be "Ana is a young person." How can we ensure this? We cannot, because the interpretation "lives" in the mind of the person who expresses it or thinks it.
To some, Ana will seem young; To others, Ana will seem older. "Young", "Older" are qualifiers that denote judgments, interpretations, opinions about the fact that they can be changed and thousands of them can be created according to the different observers of the same fact.
Now that you know the difference, work with your particular case. Work on differentiating facts from interpretations in your story.
3. Discover how you have the power to change the interpretation of a fact that you have lived
If you don't choose new ways to "tell" what happened to you, chances are that apparently negative experience will continue to hinder your path to a better future.
To generate or create this new story you can start by asking yourself the following questions:
- What is the future that your interpretations project about what has happened to you? What are the doors that open to you according to your interpretation of the facts? What are the doors that are closed to you? Are you living these beliefs as if they were absolutely certain or do you think you can change them?
Keep in mind that these interpretations may be the basis of the discomfort you are feeling right now. Your beliefs directly influence your emotions, either to feel discomfort or to feel well.
Disarm the vicious mechanism of misinterpreting the past so that it does not negatively influence your present emotions. Retell the story to yourself, but this time take charge of it.
Do not see yourself as a helpless victim of the situation, but as the protagonist of it, knowing that it is in your hands to find the learning and the opportunity in that story.
Remember that you can always ask yourself what lessons you can take from these facts and what are the possibilities that open up that you have not seen before.
Think seriously about what your responsibility was at that given moment and how you can change your point of view so that it supports you towards what you want to achieve.
You can choose how to interpret your past so that it stops weighing you down and you can find a new opportunity in it.
I encourage you right now to reconnect with your past and to start "telling you new stories" to support you on the way to what you want to be, do and have.
I look forward to your comments! I wait for you at www.hacialoquequierasser.com.
With love, Ani Vera.
