Why Is It Important To Not Hold On To The Past?

Is it so necessary to hold onto your past? Why are certain things in life so important that we still want to stick to them? Have you thought of it? The decision to forget your past is never an easy one in life. It is always hard to do that. But a certain point in life comes where we have to choose between clinging onto the past or moving forward in life. So which one of these do you think is easy to do?

As quoted rightly by Eckhart Tolle,“Sometimes letting things go is an act of greater power than defending or hanging on.” Hanging on to your past will not change the present. And it certainly isn’t going to heal your past wounds or pains. If the past is bitter and is making you unhappy, it is always better to let go. Many times during our conversation with others, we give references to our past incidents hoping that it will give way some mental relief.

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We don’t understand or rather refuse to understand that it brings more disappointment than relaxation or relief. It is crucial to bring into understanding that a person’s existence doesn’t depend on past dwellings, and also not based on plans. It is the present that creates a man and matters the most. Someone’s past cannot be given too much importance while living the present life. Many people fear the breakdown if someone or certain things distance from them. They fear the changes they might have to make in their life.

Do you realize the beauty of letting go?

Holding on to the past will add no colours to your life. Your life will remain the same. Only shifting the perspective of seeing things will change your life. Whenever you throw a question at someone, the same query will be answered in different ways by different people. Everyone’s viewpoint towards life is distinct and separate. You cannot judge people on who is right or wrong. Discussing your situation with others can make you observe things differently.

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It may not solve your problem completely, but you will be sure about a few things. Sometimes making mistakes and being at fault is necessary for our learning and growth. It gives us proper knowledge and understanding of things in life and also the willingness to learn from those past mistakes. Spend a few moments of your life to figure out what had happened. It is always not a case for fast recovery or healing. Analysing things can help you to live the present moment and come out of the past situation.

If you are struggling with your past, what can you do? 

1. Release the things over which you have no control: 

Some matters are not in our hands. But we still try to hold onto those things because of our fear of losing those things. You cannot push a person or a situation to be in your favour. Excessive attachment to anything, in particular, is not healthy when it worries us or makes us feel insecure. So at that time, we must allow ourselves to be free.

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2. Choose your Priority: 

When life is yours, then why not make yourself the prime concern? Why the approval of others should matter? Your happiness shouldn’t be dependent on anyone else. Do things that make you glad even if it sounds silly to others. As Mahatma Gandhi had once said: “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” The control is entirely in your hands, and no one can hurt you without your permission unless you are giving access to do so.

3. Try to identify the source of all your troubles: 

When things don’t turn our way, we become busy blaming ourselves for the mistakes which we have not committed. So, take a break and think. Are you being too tough on yourself? Ask this question and try to find out the root cause behind the problem as to where it went wrong, before jumping into a conclusion. The bottom line of the whole thing is that the lessons learned are the best to move on in life and make your life a better one without blaming yourself or anyone. Take responsibility for your life and move ahead. The future is bright if you don’t look back.

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4. Eliminate the Hate and embrace Love: 

The medicine for your wounds can never be anger or hatred that you preserve within yourself. One thing we need to keep in mind that hate only makes us blinder towards the truth. It always instils negative thoughts within us as the feelings are quite strong. Do you think it builds anything? The answer is NO. In life, no one has achieved anything with hate. Many people live in misery and sorrow. They cannot find happiness as they believe in taking retaliation and hope satisfaction through vendetta. So, in that case, try to help yourself by believing in the power of love and see the wonders it brings to your life.

5. Trust the plan of the Almighty: 

When we are busy mourning about the lost things, we forget that there is some power in the environment on which we can trust. We may feel that the things long went were perhaps the best, and we have missed it badly. We don’t see the bigger picture of life. We might get swayed momentarily.

6. Don’t restrict yourself to the boundaries of your self-belief: 

It is always necessary to keep on exploring. Challenges and failures will come in life, but that should not limit your abilities. If you feel that your past defines you, then you cannot move ahead in life. Keep yourself open to the difficulties and hardships of life and make yourself free from all worries that are holding you back. Create room for mistakes so that it helps you to learn the lessons of life quite well. Stop wishing for things to be too perfect or too simple/easy. Take your past mistakes as a tool to acquire new experiences. And laugh out loud for the errors that have been committed in the past.

Conclusion:  

Keeping hold of the past baggage is hard at times. Realize why it is essential to let go of the past. It would then be way easier to let go. Bring some freshness into your life and unlock yourself to the revolutionary voyage of living your life to the fullest to make yourself a better person than yesterday. Everyone deserves to be happy, joyous, and unconstrained for the interest of their desires, dreams, and ambitions.

Quoting a famous line from the iconic film ‘Rocky’: ‘’Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.’’

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