We all have History

I recently posted about how we remember and describe our past. Because this has been discussed by so many people lately, I want to go into it further.

We all have history. We all have a past. That past and how we choose to see it becomes our identity. We strengthen our attachment to our pain, by telling our ‘story’ over and over again. My own example is as follows:

I was raised pretty poor. Not the poorest, but what most would consider poor. I would describe this by telling people my story that there were years we did not receive birthday or Christmas gifts and that in high school, I only owned 1 pair of jeans and 5 tee shirts. We did not have a TV until I was thirteen and then it was very small and only black and white. As I moved into adulthood, I had a very definite sense of self-pity and resignation derived from the belief that because I was not given the right circumstances and things as a child, I would not reach my potential as an adult. This belief became a very ‘fixed’ part of my identity. As I evolved, I began to ponder what really happened.

Yes, we did not have a lot of money growing up. However, when I broadened my perspective, I saw many facets that were specifically connected to parts of my life’s goals to evolve spiritually. I saw that I had learned to not be attached to the physical and I learned to not uncontrollably desire material things. I learned to feel worthy no matter what others thought of me. I learned to interact and be a part of a rich environment of experiences that were unrelated to ‘things’.

I then learned to tell the truth about my past without telling a ‘story’ about who I am because of it. The result being, that I can be free of any resentment, pain or ‘story’ about my past and can be free to create my life, in each moment, exactly how I want to.

You can start shifting how you see yourself by beginning to take note of your stories. When telling them, it almost feels rehearsed. When it becomes clear to you, you can choose to either stop telling them, or work with looking at your past differently, or even simply telling them in a different tone of voice, just to change the embedded energy.

Or, find new stories to tell!

Detaching from the certainty that your past is defining you can free you in ways you never imagined!