We all have a past.

And no matter who you are and what your circumstances, that past inevitably features challenges, heartbreak, disappointment, loss, pain, hardship, and hurt.

We have also all made mistakes, done things that we regret, failed to step up and meet a challenge, responded to a situation from a place of anger or fear, and much more.

This is an inevitable part of the experience of being human, and is true for both this life, as well as your past lives.

But these stories from the past are also about overcoming.

They are about resilience, tenacity, learning and growing, and allowing the experiences we have in life to show us what we don’t want to repeat, as well as spur the desire within us to change and live our lives in a different way.

Many of us are taught to believe that we should follow the path that our parents or ancestors have walked, to choose a partner or a career that reflects the life choices, beliefs, and values of our family of origin.

But it is important to remember that we are not limited by the stories of our past, whether it is our childhood conditioning, the traditions of our ancestors, or our own lived experience in this life, as well as our past lives.

It is important to look at the past, realize our mistakes, see where we can do better, be better, overcome, and become.

And this is true for each of us as individuals, as well as collectively as a society.

We are not supposed to be stuck in the past – we are meant to create the future.

Learn from the past, and let the past go, so you can allow yourself a new future that features the wisdom you gained from those learned experiences.

The past does not define us, it shapes us into who we can become.