Your memories shape you.
Think about it; is there anything about you that your past has not shaped?
It’s incredibly beneficial to explore memories, relationships and events of the past.
They reveal so much about who you really are.
And why you are the way you are.
Armed with this information, you can decide if you love the outcome or if you’d like to make changes.
Maybe transform in a more deliberate and conscious way.
When exploring your history, you need to be mindful of a few things:
- Memory is a tricky thing. And rarely is what you remember the whole truth. Humans are hard-wired to attach more meaning to memories with strong emotion and we’re terrible at remembering lots of details.
- Memories can change. We often think our memories are the definitive way events happened, but as you delve into them, you’ll notice your perspective has changed since then. The good news is that many of them may even be more interesting with the hindsight and the knowledge you possess now!
- Your memories will slowly come alive in your mind. As you turn your mind to focus on a specific memory, you may begin to hear, smell, taste, and feel it come alive. And it can bring intense pain or immense joy. Go at your own speed and be mindful of your self-care afterwards.
- Exploring memories changes your story. As you examine your life and beliefs, your compassion and understanding of yourself will grow. Putting things in perspective, you may discover silver linings in things that felt utterly horrible at the time they happened.
- You will discover much about your current self. Looking at your memories from afar can make visible the patterns you never noticed before. It can help you break cycles of negative behaviour, or lead you to discover that you’ve been taking tiny steps towards a change all along. These are just a few of the things you’ll encounter as you dive into your memories.
The only thing I can tell you to expect for certain is that things will start cropping up.
This is totally normal.
In fact, it’s good to acknowledge upfront that there will probably be some obstacles along this journey toward self-discovery.
The truth is, when you discover something that is standing in your way of achieving your goals, you always have a choice.
You can either stop and avoid the challenge, or you can find a way to climb that wall.
And if you can’t climb it, you can do everything in your power to go around it, dig under it, or maybe even plough right through it.
There is always a way forward.
The only difference is the decision you make.
You create your future by committing to it, and taking that first step into the unknown.
Most often, you’ll thank your past-self for doing so. As you move forward with your journaling, you may feel like you’re “not doing it right.”
Can you guess what I’m about to say? There’s no “correct” way to do this work.
The only way to get it wrong is to not do it at all.
Today, I want you to explore what obstacles are standing in your way – past, present and future.
Maybe you have obstacles with starting this course, or bigger obstacles, stopping you from reaching the heights you dreams for yourself.
Let’s mine those experiences for insight.
Don’t be afraid to let your memory and imagination take you where it needs to go.
It’s perfectly fine (and often more valuable) to follow the road less travelled.
This is your journey. There is no right or wrong.
JOURNALING PROMPTS:
What is the longest-running obstacle in your life?
And what would happen if you overcame that obstacle?
More importantly, what would happen if you didn’t? (Think broadly: emotionally, physically, financially, etc.)
I also want you to think about the steps you’ve taken to overcome this obstacle and what kind of progress you’ve made.
What do you wish would happen? And how could that become possible?
