“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
~ Wayne Dyer
Are you repulsed by self-analysis and generally dislike looking back or rehashing the past?
Past is the past. It happened. We can’t change it, so why bother?
There is a reason to look at the past. In looking back, you get to re-examine what happened. Questioning the past as an adult can bring a refreshing view on some events. When I did my first transformational course in 2005, the leader asked those of us whose parents were under 24 when we were born to stand up. I stood up. Being already in my late 20s brought awareness about my parents. I realized how young they were when they had me and immediately felt compassion for their choices.
Often, just merely looking back, or talking about what happened, can uncover that some of the things we thought of as true are not true at all. After my father passed two months ago, my mom told me about the event I remembered differently than how she said it happened. This conversation allowed me to rewrite my story.
Looking back is not a waste of time. It can prevent us from making the same mistake again and again. It can shine the light on things we couldn’t or didn’t understand at the time and offer much-needed relief. There is value in talking things over and letting yourself share the world the way you see it so you can stop making things up. Knowing what is so always gives us power.
We can’t change the past. What we could change, however, is the narrative we created about what happened. It is how we view and speak about what happened that can bring us happiness or misery.
Looking at the past is an opportunity to directly impact our experience in the present and have a different future.
