Regrets

"Regrets, I've had a few; But then again, too few to mention. I did what I had to do And saw it through without exemption."

A great old song from Frank Sinatra, I know I'm showing my age, LOL but the message is something to remember. There's really two parts to this message. The first is to let go of regrets. I've talked before about moving beyond the past. I've even given some techniques that I've used. Regrets will eat you up inside, know that what has happened has happened & there's no guarantee that things would have turned out perfectly if you had done something different. We love to imagine where we'd be if only I would have done this!! Or if I hadn't given up on that!! The truth is that you are exactly where you're suppose to be. The only time that matters is this present moment because it's all we really have.

The past is what formed us but by holding on to the past we limit our future. This is especially true with past emotions. We hold onto the emotions that formed us even when we believe we've moved beyond the event. We create triggers & sometimes we don't even understand that the reason why we react, in a certain way, is because of the buried emotions we've never let go. These buried emotions can cause extreme reactions like crying, fear or anger. The only way to live in the current moment is to understand these emotions, learn what the triggers are, acknowledge the feeling & then let it go. I know this sounds easy & truthfully sometimes it can be easy but other times it takes work. To allow yourself to feel the original emotion can be difficult. The longer it's been buried the harder it can be but to move beyond but you need to feel the hurt you've buried or you'll always be stuck in the past.

Regrets can be the same way. You are immediately pulled into the past looking at what would have turned out differently if you had done this or that. We wear our regrets as badges of courage sometimes. "If I hadn't taken that job I would have been a pro golfer" or something like that. The truth is we have no idea what would have happened if we had gone on a different path. We create a glorified reality to lift ourselves beyond the life we are living right now. We love to dream what would have happened & it's so easy to imagine the great successes we would have had. Let go of the regrets in your life & enjoy where you're at now!!

The second part of this song to me is to live your life without regrets. If we live in the current moment & stay connected to our true self (soul) we will find more joy then we can imagine. Understand that there's a reason for everything that happens in your life & although we can all run into rough patches in our lives. The way to move beyond these tough times is to stay focused on the beauty in the current moment. We have an amazing strength within us & this strength is born from our connection to everything. You have the ability to create the life you want, believe in yourself & trust in God/universe. Begin today & discover the true joy in your life.

Till Monday, enjoy your weekend.

Bill


Quote of the day:"Let go of the regrets you have in your life. Live in the now & discover more joy then you can imagine."

Being able to Forgive

Are you able to forgive others? or do you always hold a grudge? Forgiveness can be one of the hardest lessons we all need to learn. Sure at times it's easy to tell someone that you forgive them, but do you really? Or do you bury the hurt feelings you have?

Forgiveness is difficult for us because we know we've been wronged & our sense of fairness says that the person that wronged us should have to face some kind of punishment. The truth is that forgiveness can set us free. It is only through the act of forgiveness that we can move beyond the tragedies of our own life. By forgiving & moving beyond the pain of the circumstances, we discover a deeper love then we would ever know without learning to forgive.

Too often we say the words "I forgive you" & don't really mean what we're saying. Even if we're able to move forward with the person, we either hold a deep seated resentment about what they did to us or we choose to never trust them again. Both of these reactions are normal but extremely counterproductive. By forgiving another we aren't caving in on what we believe we are moving above the hurt & opening our heart to love.

One of the best ways to move beyond the past is through forgiveness. Whatever has happened to us in the past, we need to remember it's in the past. Once anything happens to us it can't be changed, so to move beyond the past we need learn to forgive. I try to remember two basic things: 1) We are all human beings & as such we all make mistakes. I am no better than you so I have no right to judge you. 2) Most people try to do the best they can. Their best may not be what we want to see but most people try to do their best.

These two truths helped me move beyond many of the things that have happened to me in my life. I learned to forgive, understanding that the people that hurt me were only trying to do what they thought was right & that they did the best they could. Even in circumstances of tragic proportion, Forgiveness will free us to live a better life.

So how do we forgive? I believe that forgiveness is a very personal process. I have found couple things that worked well for me. I sit quietly & focus on the pain that the other person has caused in my life. I allow myself to feel these feelings & then I let them go. I release these feelings to God/universe and my soul is lifted up. I feel love & a great calm. The other way I've handled this process is to write down everything that this person did to me & how what they did to me made me feel. Then I either rip up the paper or light it on fire. As the paper is being destroyed I again release those feelings & I am feel lifted up & freed from the situation.

Forgiveness is the only way to move forward in your life. It helps us learn to love regardless of the mistakes of the other person. Believe in forgiveness, discover true love & find more joy in your life.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"Forgiveness moves us beyond the past. It teaches us to love unconditionally & opens our life to discover more joy."

Cleaning Out & Restoring Yourself

Many of us think about doing a complete cleaning in the Spring. I personally look at cleaning in many different ways. Like many of you I try to do a complete cleaning in the spring & usually in the fall but I believe in the movement of things throughout your life. This movement of the stuff in our life can actually help us become more open & help our life, spirit or energy to move forward. Many of us get stuck in our old ways refusing to let go the things in our life that don't really work for us anymore. We become stubborn with everything in our lives & then we wonder why our life isn't moving forward the way we want it to.

The simple act of "cleaning out" can allow new things into your life. Sometimes this "cleaning out" isn't easy. I recently cleaned out my closet & donated many of my old clothes to Goodwill. Several of these old clothes had a very deep meaning to me & not unlike music when we see a piece of clothing it transports us back to the moment we acquired it or wore it. For me many of the clothes I let go of were from trips I've taken in my life or from shows I was in as an actor. Letting go of these "memories" can be difficult but the thing to remember is that the memories aren't in the "things". The "things" are just something to help us remember the memory & we hold onto it like it really matters. The truth is holding onto the past can keep us stuck in the past. Instead of holding onto a "thing" why not keep a book with the special memories. By letting go of "things" we can open our self up to new possibilities.

This of course if also true of thoughts & sometimes just the process of "cleaning out" things can actually change your thoughts & open you up to new possibilities. There's an amazing truth in the universe & that truth is that "Letting go of the past & allowing things to happen in the present moment will create more joy in your life then you can imagine." When you feel stuck try "cleaning out" something in your life & you may discover that by "cleaning out" you truly restore yourself to the beautiful person your are!

Till Tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"The simple act of cleaning out things in your life can open you up to new possibilities. Discover the possibilities today & lead a more joyful life!"

Back to the beginning

What are your first memories as a child? Not the ones that people tell you about or the ones you've seen in pictures or movies but the the first thing you can remember. I spoke yesterday about letting go of the past & I wrote a blog about that several months ago but sometimes in order to let go you have to take the time to think back.

Many doctors will say that the earliest memories we have as children are between the ages of 3-5 years. So I ask again, do you remember what your first memory is? I'd love to hear some of them in the comments section. For me my first memories are from a vacation my family took to Florida. The first of two very distinct memories from that trip (I was nearly 4) was sitting on a ledge with my dad. He was fishing & a manatee surfaced & scared me to death. I had never seen anything like that. The second memory from the same trip was my dad taking me & my sisters out on a raft in the ocean to see a ship anchored off shore. So for me, my first memories are both good & bad.

The trouble most of us have with the past is that we've created emotional attachments to events that we've been through. These emotional attachments are so strong that whenever we experience something that reminds us of the original event we feel the same emotions. This emotional attachment can be great for wonderful events in our life but it can create fear & negative emotions from bad events. These fears can hold us back from being who we are truly meant to be. The key to living a more joyful life is to take the time to understand these connections. Write down all the memories you have & the emotions that are attached to them. Once you can identify these attachments you can begin the process of healing.

Sounds easy, huh? The process itself is easy but to move through the past you need to experience the emotions that are attached to these memories. Once you can feel the emotional attachment & you allow yourself to experience the feelings you can begin the process of letting these negative attachments go.

The mind is an amazing thing & by letting go of these negative emotions & understanding the memories they were attached to. You can then re-attach these memories to less negative thoughts. This re-patterning of negative emotions can free you to live a more joyful life.

Take the time to understand why you feel what you feel in your life. Understand that through forgiveness of ourself & others, we can release the past & begin to live in the present moment. By taking the time to understand why we react the way we do we can begin the process of healing & live a more joyful life.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"Take the time to understand your past. Through this understanding we can move forward to a more joyful life."


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