The Past Is Not Your Future – The Direction You Take Is

Is where you are today truly where you desire to be? This is a question that should make our “great-questions-to-reflect-on-list.” This is a question I have asked myself many times throughout my life however in reflection I could never really answer it with any great clarity or certainty. There is reason for this. I also believe that it is a question that many of us don’t ask ourselves, and there is reason for this, too.

If we take the position that we are, right now, exactly where we want to be, one would assume that we are then truly satisfied in life.  It would also indicate to me that our past has included a series of ideal moments and events that have brought us to this point. Looking inwardly this certainly is not the case for me, for I have in the past and still in the present find that I am not where I want to be.

And as I seek calmness within and to protect myself from any lose of hope in progression, I look externally for assurance that I am not alone, and I am not. The statistics indicate a high number of us walk this planet dissatisfied with where we are, as it is not ideally where they want to be. Depression and anxiety riddle our society. Some become so dissatisfied with where they are in life that they start to be dissatisfied with who they are in life. This saddens me, as it is for who we are that truly amplifies not only our own lives but all those around us.

If where you are today, is where you want to be than for that I must applaud you. Well done! If you are unsure, then find a happy spot to reflect and ask yourself this question, “Is where I am today truly where I desire to be?” You will know the truth of your answer by the feeling you get as you reflect and ponder on your life as it is today.

This is what I know. I know that life is tough and that life is challenging. The universe works in magical ways and in one of its strangest ways is how it likes to test us all as individuals. You see in observation of others and in my own experience I notice that we are all consistently presented with challenges in life. However, what I have witnessed and experienced is that the Universe seems to favour those that handle challenges well and as reward, presents them with less challenges. Those that struggle and fight with the challenges in life seem to be faced with a never ending supply.

I find comfort in knowing this little secret about the universe. It stops me from putting up any form of resistance when challenge approaches me. Without resistance I am able to proceed with a lot more grace and ease. It is then in this seemingly effortless state I manage to avoid further challenges.

Resistance is another reason why some face more challenges in life than others. It is in resistance that we create our own self-suffering. The refusal to accept something as it is, i.e. the challenge we face, doesn’t allow an easy path forward in finding a solution to overcome that challenge.

When we do not accept, we do not find resolve or solution and for this reason, problems remain. This has the effect to alter our mindset and changes our attitude. Rather than being solution seekers, that is in itself a very positive mindset, we become problem hoarders, meaning that we see and almost favour problems over solutions. This is why those that don’t seem to handle challenge well seem to accumulate more than those that do.

If you sit in life feeling as though you are always surrounded by challenge, then this is exactly how your thought will continue to make your reality. If you wish to progress, then understand that challenge is inevitable and is actually necessary. You see it is without challenge that we will not have learnings and if we do not learn, we do not grow, and growth is a fundamental human need.

It is in growth that we progress and as we do so we enrich our lives. Growth is exciting, it satisfies and fulfils our soul. This is why we should view challenge not as a burden but as a positive adventure – a reason to learn and grow.  If you are not where you want to be in life than growth is your path forward and you will find growth in personal transformation.

I have digressed to far of path and wish now to return to my original purpose of this writing and that is to create understanding as to why it is essential that we remove our reliance and belief that the past is our future. Challenge is a fundamental reason why many of us just accept that where we are in life is where we want to be. It is also reason why we place blame on our past as being responsible for where we are today and where we will be tomorrow.

“Will tomorrow ever come if you are always living in the now?”

We all have inner drive and ambition and if we dig deep within we will start to sense and feel this desire burn.  It is these desires that must be pursued. We must not put them off any longer out of fear of the challenge we might face. We must also not place blame or create a stories of our ability to pursue them based on our past.

I am an adult and I am responsible for my own life. This does not mean I am any more mature than a I was as a child but it does mean the direction forward for me is entirely my own. Our past has part to play in where we are today, for many of our early years of life have been in some way, shape or form, directed and guided by others. Our families, peers, communities, religious groups, and our society have all directed us in life to some extent. It is for this reason why for where we are today, may not be precisely where we want to be.

We do not suckle on a teat as young and then once feed walk alone. We are provided guidance and direction for long after we have been feed and this has created in part who we are. Our beliefs, our behaviours, our reality. Here is a magical prize of being human – if who you think you are is affecting where you want to be than we have the power to change that. By changing our thoughts, by changing our beliefs and by letting go of the past, we can direct our reality towards any life we truly desire.

I actually believe that often what hinders our progression on this path of self-discovery and journey of dreams is that we have become to reliant on direction. We are perhaps held, guided and nurtured for to long that we continue to seek too much direction in life. It is true that we are not alone and should not find need to be fully independent, dependency is grand, but we need to learn to walk in our own shoes. This is why its important to allow children to solve problems from an early age themselves, so that when it comes time to face life’s challenges they can better work through and solve them.

I also believe that while, in most part, the direction and guidance we have received in the past has been for good reason it actually has the tendency to pull has further away from our true authentic self. Don Miguel Ruiz describes this as being domesticated. When we are not truly connected and aware of our true self it is much harder to guide and direct ourselves and becomes a great reason to fall back on the reliance of another’s guidance.

Always being guided and directed by others is a sure way to end up at a destination that is not the one you truly desire.

When we lack self awareness, clarity of who we are and where we want to be in life, it becomes easy to place blame externally rather than within. As humans one of our greatest gifts is choice. The choice and freedoms we have may very from one person to another based on certain upbringings and circumstance, yet we still all have choice. Lack of choice is not a reason nor should be used as an excuse as to why you can not progress in the direction you want to go.

I will summarise it now. Your past is not your future we all have choice in the direction forward that we take. To do this first we must rekindle our love for learning and growth, if it has at some stage been lost. We must partake in personal transformation to help us discover and connect once again with our true authentic self. We must pull from within, like poison from a wound, our greatest dreams and desires. We must revitalise our values in life and walk aligned with them.

If we can do this, then the direction that we take from now will be a positive one. We will reach a point in our lives that is truly where we want to be and that point will be immediately realised. It is not the destination that matters but rather the journey there.