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What is your past?
Your past self only exists in your mind in the form of memories.

All those moments in the past that you are proud of, or maybe a little ashamed of, only exist in memory form.

You get to decide what your past means in your life. You get to define how your past influences your present. You get to decide the story that you tell about your past.

Your past self has created your current patterns, habits, and circumstances. Your past-self did the very best that they could! They did exactly what they needed to do to help you be who you are today.

Your past-self does not control your present-self, but it does have an impact on both your present and your future.

Most people are not intentional about the impact that their past has on their present lives.

Most people never stop to think about how they think and feel about their past, or what they let their past mean in their lives.

Nobody remembers all of their past. Most people have a few pivotal moments throughout their past that they hang on to. They give these moments meaning in their present lives, both good and bad. Unfortunately, they usually give their past meaning with no intention. 

They become victims to their past as they continue to be driven by their thoughts, beliefs, and emotions from and about their past. They let the patterns of their past extend, unchecked, into their future. 

What does your past mean to you?
What you think about your past will determine how you feel about your past. How you feel about your past will influence how you act and behave in the present, which will then create your future.

Often times we let our past determine who we are without defining our past for ourselves. 

For example, in my past, I accidentally lit my school bus on fire with some friends. For a long time, I thought that my past made me a bad person. I felt shame and embarrassment, which influenced my behaviors, which resulted in a lack of confidence in myself.

Now that I make it a point to define my own past, I am empowered by it. Lighting the school bus on fire is now nothing more than an experience that taught me valuable lessons. It's a fun story to show people that you can make HUGE mistakes and recover from them. It's a tool that I use to connect with people. At the time I felt hopeless and worthless. I can still remember that. It helps me connect with and understand teens and parents who currently feel hopeless and worthless. 

Believe it or not, your past, even the parts you are most ashamed of, connects you to the future of your dreams. It's up to YOU to make the connection. 

Define and Embrace Your Past.
Become aware of the impact that our past has on your life. 

Explore and see what patterns and habits have carried into our present life. 

Once we become aware of this, we can intentionally define the meaning of our past, and the impact that it has on our lives. We can start to appreciate the past for everything it has done and created for us, and we can let go of the things that are no longer serving us.  

Special Gift for YOU!
As I mentioned in the last episode, my birthday was last month, and I LOVE to celebrate the holidays. I love Christmas and the w

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