Can you ever truly let go of the past? YES! Especially if holding on to the past keeps you from forging ahead with your life, then letting go of the past is the ultimate option. I agree, and humbly admit, that it's not so easy... but I truly believe with all my heart that it is possible! You have to want to... step one!
Sometimes you don't want to let go of the past because that's what you are most familiar with and you're so blinded by it that nothing in the present "compares" or "lives up" to the past. So, you end up missing out on living and enjoying the present. Think about your journey today... all the mountains and valleys you have been through. What do you need to let go of today? Do you truly want to let go of the past? Letting go of the past is for the strong and willing. You are strong enough to let go! If you are not willing, no one can ever make you move forward or let go of the past. It has to be your decision to let go--that's the very first step. The rest, is a process... one day (or moment) at a time.
You can live in the present... but you are really only going through the motions, while your inner self continues to long for the "good old days" when life was... (fill in the blank). Sometimes, you even drag your past around into every conversation, experience or relationship. Life becomes more complicated than it needs to be... just by you holding on to the past... and never giving today, the present, a chance to be beautiful! Give today a chance! Stop looking back and staying in yesterday.
If anything, be very grateful for your past--good and bad. Your past love, friendships, jobs, experiences, etc. all made an impact on your life; and maybe even shaped who you are today. BUT... Hello... those that are gone, are GONE! Cherish the sweet memories--and don't LONG to go back because it may never be the same as it was before. Time has passed, you have changed, they have changed, life has happened! Letting go of the past is not about forgetting... it's about making room for the present.
Remember... What was good, was good at the time. What could have destroyed you, didn't destroy you because you survived to tell the story of how you made it through--which will one day be an encouragement to someone else. Don't be a prisoner of the frustrations from the past either. Letting go is absolutely necessary for your health and sanity. Be good to yourself. Be good to those in your present who are probably missing out on enjoying all of you because part of you is still high strung on the past. LET IT GO! Live today--in the present. You and they deserve it!
