Everyone has a past. We know this.Some pasts are filled with darkness: death of a loved one. Emotional abuse. Accidents. Fear. Some pasts are filled with light: Great families. A happy childhood. Adventures lived again and again. And most are filled with a mixture of the light and darkness. Our pasts tend to leave a mark on us. Our opinions are typically formed on the basis of what we've experienced. We see our worth through lenses tinted by our past.
Unfortunately, people have let their past define them. They're still trying to live the life they lived years ago. The truth is, we don't have to let the past define us. Our past can really mess with us. All of those old habits, all those old friends and most importantly all of those old relationships. When we are naturally loyal, we have the tendency to think that our loyalty to those people and to those things shouldn't go away. It's sort of a part of our moral compass and we want to be consistent as far as our traits go, and loyalty is a darn good one to have. It's very rare these days to find anyone who is loyal. They might show glimpses, but genuine loyalty is an amazing trait.
The trick is to use that loyalty towards what's coming, not towards what was. Always remember that if the past were meant to be it would still be the present. That's a fact. When we overcome things, don't look back, when we finally get over something or someone, don't look back. The only reason to should ever look back at all is to see how far we have come. Other than that, leave the past where it belongs. By putting one foot in front of the other we are moving towards the future not back to the past. That's the lesson in all of this and it's keep moving forward. Always.
We can move on from our past into something better. Something awaiting us: our future, which has not been tinted yet. We can make it whatever we want it to. Staying loyal to your past, meaning staying locked up there and letting it guide you, won't reap you anything at all. What happened there, under whatever circumstances cannot stop you from doing what you want. But staying aware of your future will definitely help you shape it. You can work on whatever you consider your shortcomings to be and have plenty of time to plan towards your future. Sure, we all fall short of perfection, but that doesn't mean that we are not headed in the right direction. For some people hitting rock bottom is what it takes to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
You will never create a future for yourself if you are always stuck in your past. Whatever has happened has happened! You need to move on and focus on creating your best future!