How do I let go of the past?

To let go of an issue from the past, first you need to understand that the past does not actually exist. What you remember happening in the past is probably different than what someone else remembers because it’s based on your perception of events. The past and the future are all in your imagination so there’s no point stressing them. The present is reality and your true existence.

Second, it is important to know that everything that happens in life is precisely chosen for you. There are experiences that you need to have. Some of them you can perceive as being positive and others as negative. The truth is that all the experiences were positive for your soul’s progression. The experiences that you felt were negative happened for an overall positive outcome. It is through negative experiences that you become stronger and better equipped for all the things that will come in your future.

If you could see the whole story of your life, you could understand the reasoning for absolutely every event that occurred. Unfortunately, while actually being the protagonist in your story, this information is not made available to you. Simply put, life would be boring if you already knew exactly what was going to happen. The unfolding of events is one of the main reasons why playing the game of life is appealing to a soul. As such, the memory of the whole story of your life is forfeited when you decide to experience it from a first person perspective. Rest assured though, you did pick it and for very good reasons.

Life is like a ship sailing at sea. The things in your past are anchors that prevent the ship from moving forward. A captain has to look forward and not backward when at sea. As you clear those anchors, new opportunities are presented to you. Stagnancy turns into momentum. The waves, which you can think of as feelings, take you where you need to go as soon as you learn to let go of the steering wheel.

One way to get over past negative issues is to first write them down. Take a deep breath. People often forget to breathe when they are flustered. Now, look at the list and ask yourself what benefit could the experiences have provided you. Here are a few questions you might want to ask.

Did some of them balance your personality?
Did some of them prepare you for the future?
Do you think it may have been to resolve that guilt?
What came of this experience?
Did it help mold you into who you are today?
What did you learn from this?
Could the lesson learned help you or a loved one?

Once you’ve determined what the purpose could have been, try to see the experience as being positive overall. This allows you to forgive all those involved, including yourself, and move forward. You are the one being haunted by the past. Your ship is the one with the anchor. It is in your best interest to cut the anchor and move on. Nobody can cut that anchor for you.

Finally, remember that the person you are today is the result of all your experiences. Any changes to the past would have huge changes to what you would be today, at this moment. You might think that those changes would have made you better today but that is not true. You were meant to be exactly what you are at this moment, regardless of how much you might choose to judge yourself or your past.