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Living Beyond: Moving Beyond Your Past
thesoberworld.com/2017/08/01/living-beyond-moving-beyond-your-past
“It is beyond a doubt that all our knowledge begins with experience.” ~ Immanuel
Kant
Have you ever been confronted with your past? Does your past seem to creep up on you
like a thief in the night? For so many, when we are reminded of our past, we are reminded
of our perceived failures, mistakes, and problems that have occurred within our life.
Rarely are we faced with the challenge of living down our successes and positive
achievements. When I speak of moving beyond your past, it is not to deny those errors
that have occurred within life, rather, it is to move forward and to live life anew. It is to
live life beyond our failures and our successes and to begin living as a person of worth and
value.
START ACCEPTING YOUR FAILURES AND SUCCESSES
If I were to start a personal list of my past failures and successes; I would need an
encyclopedia to list them all. Why then do we keep a running list of our perceived failures
and in some cases our successes? Why are you continuing to be defined by historical
markers in life? For who you are is much more than those perceived markers that line
your virtual roadmap. After all, our failures and mistakes are simply learning curves on
our journey of life.
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Moreover, we need to begin learning to accept our person beyond our perceived failures
and mistakes. Have you ever encountered an individual who is constantly dwelling on the
past? How does or how did this individual make you feel? Interestingly enough, I have
seldom met an individual whose focus is on their successes, yet when I did, they seem to
be living in that moment on a constant basis. Many years ago, I met an individual who
had been a success in a professional sport. Over the years, this particular individual was
constantly reminding me and others how successful he had been. This individual seemed
to rely on his achievements for recognition and personal acceptance. Eventually, this
individual would discuss