This is a post that I originally posted on June 2, 2014. I had a handful of followers at that time. I thought it would make sense to bring those posts up for all my wonderful friends in my meanwhile so big community. I hope you like it:

At times everybody is confronted with burdening memories of the past. I am very sure that there is no exception. It is not always a clear memory, but sometimes a behavior we cannot get rid of but which is in our way. Often we know that these attitudes, sadness, anger, feelings of guilt, frustrations, and sometimes helplessness originates in the past.

There are six keys you need to know about past happenings in order to make peace with them:

1. The past does not exist: The only time that exists is the present moment. The past is something that once was a present moment in which we were able to take action, make decisions, or take what others gave to us (wanted or unwanted). But this is over and will never come back again. But keeping tied up with thoughts of past moments keeps the illusion alive that the past still has power over you.
2. Whatever you did in the past was right: Not because you are Mr. /Mrs. Perfect, but because you did not know it any better. Perhaps you were a child or simply did not know that you have the claim to not accept what others do to you or want from you. Or perhaps you had to make a decision and you had to make it out of your knowledge at that very moment. Only because you would decide differently today, doesn’t mean it was wrong at that time. Whatever we did in the past or whatever we (unconsciously) accepted was the seed of our insights of today.
3. You cannot change the past: Imagine walking on a beach. When you look behind yourself you can see your footprints. The past is the footprints you left behind. But the footprints behind you don’t rule the next step you make forward. When you look in front of you no footprints are seen and it is up to you, where your next step shall be placed. You cannot change what happened, but you can take the next step in a different direction.
4. Embrace the past as your mentor: Whatever you experienced in the past, is like a school book. You learned through it and if you want you can consult it. Whatever happened made you walk in certain directions. Whatever happened, made you develop certain abilities. Whatever happened made you discover yourself in a new way. Whatever happened showed you parts and characteristics of yourself you would have not discovered or improved without it.
5. We are here to discover and to learn: To find out that you are unhappy with something in the past is the moment you should be grateful for what happened. Because it gave you the opportunity to have this insight now. We have come here to experience who we are! And finding out that something in the past does not agree with who you are today shows that you have grown, that you have improved yourself and your awareness for yourself, for others, and for the world.
6. Change what you can change and accept, what cannot be changed: The past is our book of life in which we can read what we can make better. The past is a listing of our experiences and what turned out great or less supportive. Looking back we find out that we got hurt or hurt others. The only way to get rid of the chains of our past is to accept, that it can never be changed. We can learn from it and make it better in order to use it as a springboard for our personal evolution or we bury ourselves within, get weaker, more frustrated, angrier and lose ourselves totally! You have these two choices. The one is to break free and become who you really are right because of what lies in the past. The other one is to live an illusion in a world that won’t ever change. What do you think will make you feel better?
   

You should never try to “forget” about the past, which will never work. The only way to live in peace with it is to literally make peace with it. It helped you to become who you are and all you are today is the sum of everything that happened in your lifetime. If only one tiny event would not happen, you wouldn’t be the wonderful you, that you are.  Today you are the best You ever.

Your life plan is unique and not comparable with any life plan of another person. You are doing great! Keep up your path! Say I’m sorry if you mean it (you can even do it to people who have already passed). Learn from the past and transpose your insights into the present moment. The past does not exist, but the present moment is always there for you in order to set a new footprint. Start now!

In Love and Light!