Do you ever look back at certain events or situations and think that you could have done a better job handling at least some of them? I know I do. But then I also remind myself of the context within which I responded the way I did.
Nothing exists in isolation. The people, the situation, the timing involved, even our sense of self played a part at the time. To think that it was all on us is a bit unfair because we can’t go back and change the past; plus, back then we didn’t have control over others or life in general. And guess what? We still don’t!
Regrets usually show how hard we can be with ourselves because our sense of “otherness” is quick to blame us for not being perfect. This, of course, doesn’t mean that we can’t learn from our mistakes. That’s actually why we made them in the first place: to take a closer look at who we are and the motivation (or payoff) behind what we do.
The ego-mind has the inherent ability to separate things. Like a pair of scissors, it cuts, labels, judges, and places us in a difficult position to understand who we were then and who are now: it blurs the context within which we can connect the dots of our experience.
That is its job, to maintain the illusion of separation—to create our sense of individuality or ego. Ours is to integrate the whole of our experience by shaping a clear picture out of the puzzle pieces of our life. Courage, love, and compassion are the tools to accomplish this.
Self-Awareness Takes Courage and Love
Yes, it takes courage to look within. Not just because it hurts to see that we could have done certain things better in the past, but also because there are so many hidden aspects of ourselves that treading our emotional terrain requires a continuous stretching of our “comfort zone.”
It takes courage to shift our beliefs and patterns as well. Every time we take a step forward toward our true self (what we really want in life or business), our own resistance tries to stop us—through some kind of family, relationships, life, or money drama. The purpose is to prevent us from expanding our self-awareness and mastering our emotional energy.
Getting to know ourselves is an act of love because self-awareness naturally yields love and compassion. It gives us access to deeper layers of our existence, where we can discover joy, bliss, and a higher reality that connects us to the purpose and flow of life.
Instead of remaining a slave to our habits, impulses, and emotional wounds, we give ourselves permission to act consciously: to choose what is best for us now, based on a clear understanding of our past experience and the awareness of what we really want.
The reward is not only to have less regrets later on, but to know that we’re living a life with purpose: what I call a soul guided life, a life of self-ascension. So next time you think of the past and your mind tries to fill you with regrets, ask yourself, what can I do now to prevent that from happening again?
How can I create a life with purpose from here on out, a life that empowers me to break free from my own enslaving mental patterns and habits and emotional wounds? Contact me today to start “recycling” the energy of past emotions, embracing who you really are, and creating the life (or business) you truly want!
© 2014 Yol Swan. All rights reserved.
