The past is not your present. And your present shapes your future.

For those who suffer from the pain of the past, from words that scarred, wounds that have never healed. This is for you, know that we are stronger than our pasts.

What we do in the past can and does haunt us. But we are not who we once were. Your past self is a different version of you. Younger and inexperienced.

Through the years, we learn, and a lot of what we learn is through our mistakes. And that’s how it should be—a learning experience.

But many of us hold on to those mistakes and take them with us like luggage through life’s travels.
This only weighs us down, making it hard to move forward.

While we walk our paths, we see others moving faster, achieving their dreams, and we wonder why not us?

The weight of the past can fog our minds and clog our hearts. Making thoughts muddled, and our hearts closed to new things.
It’s like trying to run a race with the flu. Difficult. This doesn’t mean you won’t finish your race. It might just take longer, and things might end up being harder in the long run due to not letting go.

I’m not saying forget. I’m saying, forgive. Forgive yourself for those past mistakes. Ones you can not take back, no matter how much you want to.

Forgive those who hurt you and try to understand that they probably don’t even remember or think of what they did to you.
This is hard not to pick at the scars of the past. It’s like shedding a layer of yourself. But when you do, you will be able to move more freely and breathe deeper.

With the loss of the past brings a promising future.

Let the present time be that—a present to yourself. One where you heal yourself and put past hurts behind. Find what brings you happiness. Concentrate on happiness, even the smallest things. Days will bring hardship but also joy, hold on to it, and never let go. Let it fill you and course through your veins.

For your future and present self. Forgive and shed what weighs you down. You deserve a bright future. One where the past does not haunt you, but is like a history book to be visited only when needed.