Take me back to the beginning. Tell me about your childhood, your family, and your life growing up. We all have events or circumstances that happened to us when we were young, what were yours?
Let’s talk about everything, even the memories you try and not think about. How do they make you feel? How do you think they have impacted your life? What childhood triggers, traumas, or turmoil have negatively affected your life?
My childhood was good and I have very fond memories of this time in my life. Well, most of it anyways. I strongly believe our childhood experiences help shape us into the adults we become. Although, we do have some control over the extent of its impact on our lives.
You have control over your past entering your present/future.
The good memories and experiences of our past should be kept and cherished. Our morals and beliefs should be upheld. Those all contribute to our solid framework. However, those negative thoughts or beliefs should be let go. They are only holding you back from your full potential.
I encourage you to make a list of some events that occurred during your childhood and a couple of sentences on how you believe they impact you today. Write down both good and bad memories. But after you’re done, I want you to reshape how you view the negative ones. Here is my example:
1. I was bullied in school for having acne.
-This has negatively affected my life because it made me feel self-conscious and that I was unattractive and unwanted. I freak out if I get a blemish even now as an adult. What do people think of me? I want to run and hide.
-I have tried to reshape my thinking on this by reminding myself that I am human and have imperfections. Other people’s opinions or feelings about me are out of my control and don’t matter in the long run.
Now you try one.
Thank you Heather for your blog. It is very positive and gives me motivation to get unstuck in some areas of my life. You have begun a ministry of hope for others.