I know that this will trigger some of you, but bear with me.
We all have a past right. But how we frame what has happened to us, will have a huge influence on how we move forward.
I try to look for the positives in everything that has happened to me. All the difficulties I have faced over the years have somehow helped get me to where I am today.
For example; when I was at school I was even shorter than I am now and weighed less than 8 stone. I was, basically, cannon fodder for the older kids! Due to this, I didn’t focus on my schoolwork, and I left school with no grades and feeling stupid.
On reflection, looking back on my time at school, it did give me the drive to get back to studying and to get all the fitness and nutrition qualifications I have today. I didn’t want to feel stupid anymore, I wanted to learn. I wanted to pass my courses with flying colours and gain the knowledge I needed to progress, so I used the hurt from school to fuel my future learning.
I fully appreciate that some things that happen are so bad that it seems really hard to see any benefit to you at all. Losing my parents was one of those times. But do you know what the positive that came out of that was? It taught me that I can deal with anything. I can get through anything. I set up the gym shortly after they passed away and worked on that as a testimony to the hard work my parents had put in throughout their lives.
Fear and resentment act like bags of lead on your shoulders. You can carry that lead around with you, and struggle to move forward, or you can change your mindset. Look for the benefit that these events had for you, remove the excess baggage, and let it fuel your forward movement.
It is not easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. My challenge to you is to look at your past experiences and see how they have benefited you. How have those negative experiences served as a platform for you to grow and realise your own potential?