Don't think of it as leaving the past behind... think of it as leaving the bad, keeping the good, and adding the better.
We've always heard the saying, "Leave the past behind" when we're ready to move on, however, I think for most of us, we're not going to leave everything behind, because if we did, we would probably be missing some important stuff. Even if we're leaving a horrible situation, putting our regrets and mistakes in the past, or moving on from trauma and abuse, we can recognize, and should recognize that everything that happened can serve a purpose if we let it, and that purpose is something we will want to bring with us.
There's no doubt that it is healthy and wise to move out of bad situations, beyond unhealthy behaviors, and move past trauma and abuse, however, as we heal, it's important to remember that what we have learned from these experiences is forming our beautiful, true, authentic, and brave selves... something we want to keep. Past experiences can teach us truth, empathy, courage, and self worth, among other things. This is no small matter and vital to have when making decisions for the future, figuring out who we are, what our purpose is, and what we want our life to become. Although, I'm sure most of us would rather not have to "Learn these lessons the hard way", however, there's no doubt that the past has been a part of forming us into who we are today, and it is up to us to decide if we are going to let it turn us into something extraordinary, which can then be used to help others and create joy for ourselves, or if we are going to let it keep us stuck.
So as we move forward, let's be proud of ourselves for, first of all, making it through, learning from our mistakes, acknowledging the truth, knowing our worth, and being courageous enough to forge ahead. Then, as we leave behind the bad, and bring the good parts with us, we can be comforted in knowing that as we gather more good along the way, things can only get better , and brighter days will come.
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