Letting Go of the Past

Acknowledge The Mile Markers in Your Life – Now Burn Them!

Write down every major and minor accomplishment on a separate piece of paper.

• Graduate from High School, College, Trade School – Write each down
• Win a Championship Title? – Write it down
• Have Children? – Write it down
• Make Partner in the Firm? – Write it down
• Survive an Illness or Accident? – Write it down
• Start a Business? – Write it down
• Master the Zen of Making Bread? – Write it down

You get the idea; write down every accomplishment.

This is a time of celebration or contemplation.  You choose to make this moment private or gather your friends and make this a yearly event.  Either way, you will pick a time to throw each piece of paper that holds your accomplishments into the fire.  Watch them burn and as they do, feel the change and growth within you.  You are not defined by past moments of glory.  They have helped shape you into the person you are today but they are not who you are.

Allow yourself to become who you are meant to be today.  Living in the past is much like driving a car by looking into the rear-view mirror.  It’s nice to see where you have been but the future is so much more exciting.

The act of writing down our accomplishments is to give them proper acknowledgment while the burning is symbolic of their release.  If the option to burn is not available, tearing, burying, or flushing the paper will serve the same meaning.

How do you release your past?  Do you use a similar method for other past events in your life?  Is this a private moment or public sharing?