As humans we quite often find ourselves tempted by certain things, some more than others.

One of the things I’m referring to is about going back in time and changing certain events in our lives.

The reasons for wanting to do this at first seem to make sense. For example, you may have made a decision and taken action on doing something in the past that didn’t go the way you wanted and just the thought of being able to change that would somehow help.

The other part of this involves those decisions you made and actions you took in the past which may have you regretting what you did or didn’t do.

What this ends up leading to is carrying around emotional baggage and let’s face it, no one wants to be carrying that around and having it run their life.

If this applies to you in some way I have a question for you:

“How much do you want to change your past?”

1. Blast from the past- Let’s face it, as humans it is natural to have the tendency to want to go back in the past and come from the mindset of, “If I had just changed that one decision I made or didn’t make things would have been different…I  would have been happier and better off.”

Really? Are you sure about that?

Now at first you most likely would say yes. We’ve all been in those situations, myself included.

It is very tempting to say that if you changed just one thing from the past that things would have turned out better.

On the flip side along with this is also the tendency to say, “I don’t even want to think about what took place in the past, I just want to forget about it altogether.”

Really? Are you sure about this too?

Here’s the deal…

There’s nothing wrong with looking back in your past, it just depends on how you do so.

Looking back on any moment(s) in your past and thinking that if you changed something your life would have been happier and better off is an unwise thing to do.

The reason is, because by changing just one thing, even what seems like an insignificant event can and does change everything else that follows…and it can certainly do so in ways that you may not want.

Therefore it is wise to be grateful for what has taken place in your life no matter what it was and see how it has helped you.

2. Back to the future- Many people feel that our past shapes our future. Along these lines there are people who will say that what others have done in the past will continue to be a pattern that shows up in the future. The question here is, “Is there any truth to this?”

The answer is “yes” and “no.” It depends.

I’m sure it’s obvious that some people will just have a tendency, no matter what they say, to just continue to repeat and do the same things over and over again…even though they may say, “I’m sorry” for things they’ve done before.

Take a look at this and you’ll see it quite often. Of course this isn’t true with everyone but those who have a high tendency to say, “I’m sorry” will have a high probability of doing that  very thing they’re apologizing for again and again. Take a closer look and you’ll see this much more than you originally thought.

Then of course you have some people who will apologize for something and they’ll stay true to their word. This doesn’t happen as often as most people would like to believe.

Where am I going with this?

Just know that whatever you’ve done or not done in the past is something that has served you and others whether you’re aware of it at any point in time or not.

The idea is to realize this and be grateful for it so you can be in a poised, present, and purposeful state of mind without having unnecessary emotional baggage weighing you down.

This is yet another reason why you wouldn’t want to go back in time in any way and change the past.

3. Here in the now- There is this real cool picture I’ve come across and it is of a clock that has the word “now” in place of the numbers one through twelve. Of course this is to mean that no matter what time it is that time is “now.” I love the concept but the bigger question is…

“How do we maintain being in the now at all times?”

The truth, which is surprising to many people, is that no one is able to always be 100% in the “now” all the time.

However, we can train ourselves and certainly be able to get into those states of presence during very specific moments.

The fact is that we as humans are always oscillating in some way emotionally, and certainly some more than others.

Those who go on what some call an “emotional roller coaster” will have very frequent up and down mood swings, while those who are more poised, present, and in the “now” will have very little emotional mood swings.

Why is this important?

Because in order for you to realize the magnificence and brilliance of who you are it is very important to be able to control and manage your emotions to the point of being poised, present, and in that “now” state.

And a big part of being able to do this involves what I’ve been discussing with you today, knowing how to go back in your past and use it to your (and others) advantage.

Once again, it’s not about wanting to change your past but to see how it has helped you become the wonderful and amazing person you are.

So the next time you think about that clock and that the time is “now” just know that your time is now to shine and to show the world how much of an important person you are.