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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2 comments:
This blog really made me think. I know how those early memories have shaped my life. One memory of my parents arguing, I have always felt, instilled in me an aversion to conflict. Because of this, I have had to learn methods of dealing with people who shout over me to assert their point of view. Sometimes it just means not caring whether I am heard. Because of what you are talking about here, I am very aware of how people treat and act around young children. I think it is so important to understand how they are affected by early experiences.
Thanks Canyn, love to make people think I believe it's the only way to grow. As far as children goes people have no idea of the impact of their actions on them. Remember that children interpret things completely different then adults so it can take years to understand the connections that are developed. The good news is the mind is very easy to change if you work on it, new patterns can replace old & those reactions can be unlearned to bring more joy.
Hugs,
Bill
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