Don't underestimate your past
Because it’s not in the past…
Never underestimate the power of your past.
Because it’s not in the past.
It’s here in this living moment with you – woven into your responses, choices and perceptions; baked into your nervous system and psyche through and reinforcement and repetition.
That doesn’t mean your past has to define you, not at all.
Though, you’re lying to yourself if you say ‘its in the past’, yet have done no work to clear the ripples of that past from your system to create space for something new.
Yesterday, in a session with my coach, I went ‘back in time’ to the end of 2020, when I went through an experience that was somewhat challenging for me.
Despite acknowledging the challenge at the time, I realised looking back that I hadn’t fully resolved or digested what happened there.
Part of me stayed frozen in that experience, and on the subtlest of levels, I have gotten in my own way unconsciously ever since.
That past experience was with me in every moment. It informed my capacity and energy levels, choices and perceptions.
And this is how the past shapes us – you have experiences that your system ‘learns’ from, and you then – often completely unconsciously – adjust accordingly to avoid repeating painful or difficult events.
We are such clever adaptive creatures.
But, those ‘adaptations’ will inadvertently shape your behaviour, attitudes, thoughts and feelings in a way that can begin to inhibit your ability to fully show up for your business or career, relationships, and life in general.
If you bring the process of ‘learning’ from these past experiences into consciousness, you gift yourself the chance to mine the gold from the past, get the learnings and gifts and then move forward with your life.
I call this process ‘digesting’ your past experiences, and have specific practices I teach to support you to do this.
The challenges of the past – and your adaptations – can become like a cage you find yourself living in if you’re not aware, but this digestion process ensures your continued liberation…
Which past experiences do you need to free yourself from?