Monk 1: Why did you allow yourself to interact with a woman? You know our vows forbid it!
Monk 2: I only carried her across the river. You are carrying her still....
Life's transitions necessarily involve a letting go, an ending, before a new beginning. How much of your present is the past you haven't let go of?
Remembering the past is completely natural. Our memories of people, places and experiences can be precious and worth dwelling on from time to time. Even remembering a negative past can be useful to us occasionally, as it is an opportunity to learn from our past experiences - if we didn't remember, we would keep making the same mistakes! However, when you are living in the past, you are not appreciating the present and you're not preparing for how you are going to be happy and successful in the future.
Here are some thoughts for your personal inquiry:
What is the about the past that was so much better/worse than today? How can you make your present circumstances better than your past experiences?
Your future is a clean canvas waiting to be filled with the colours you choose today. Yesterdays' canvas is a complete painting. Daydream a little as you're filling up tomorrow's canvas. Doing this will feel really good! Don't limit yourself by thinking "this is impossible".
Focus on what you have.Thinking of what you don't have in your life today will keep a happy future from you, so don't fall into that trap. Dream your future as you would wish it to be.
Appreciate what you have now. Even if you feel like you don't have a lot to be thankful of right now, if you really think about it, you'll find you have a lot that you don't appreciate. Take five minutes before you fall asleep and think of all the positive things that happened during your day. Even if it is something as simple as having had a conversation with someone you love, eating a nice meal with your family, appreciating the comfort of your bed or thinking of something fun to do at the weekend - those are all things to be appreciated!
Living in the past is one of the most common blocks to moving ahead. Decide today where you want to invest your energy.
