9 Reasons You Shouldn’t Be Afraid To Ruthlessly Revisit Your Past

I have a habit of paying a visit to my past every now and then. I like to rummage through my old pictures, journals, diaries, scrap books, letters, notes & memos. Small fragments of my past that I can’t really throw away because they are also proof of how far I’ve come and how much I’ve changed over the years. I find it refreshing to let the past in when it knocks on my door because some good thing come out of it.

1. You will laugh at the “problems” you had. Or that person you dated or the person you thought you’d never get over. You will laugh at the way you looked and the way you dressed, you will laugh at how “cool” you were trying to be. You will laugh at the things you used to write and the words you wanted to say.

2. You will smile at the beautiful memories you created. At the cute places you no longer go to, at the good times you had with the people you are no longer in touch with. You will smile at those silly birthday cards or cheesy love notes your friends gave you.

3. You will remember the struggles and the victories. Your friends and your foes, your fears and your dreams, your success and your failure. You will remember the times you thought will never pass, but they did. You will remember that at some point you thought you were incapable of moving on, but you did. You will remember those who disappointed you and how you replaced them with people who don’t let you down.

4. You will believe in yourself. When you flip through the pages and realize that you are capable of doing greater things that you know, and that you are stronger than you think, and whatever it is that is holding you back in the present WILL pass and you will move on just like you did plenty of times before.

5. You will ask questions. About your future, about yourself, about life and about your journey. You will ask yourself why you were so hard on yourself or why you didn’t send that letter when you had the chance.

6. You will wonder about people. Where did they go? What happened to them? Do they still laugh obnoxiously in the movie theatre? Are they happily married? Do they think about you? Do they go through the same pictures and remember the days you both shared and how much you’ve grown?

7. You will watch the scenes of your own movie. You will pause the moments that took your breath away, rewind the times that made you smile, forward the painful memories and stop the moments that changed you.

8. You will edit your own story. Highlighting the words that inspired you, quoting the people who are no longer with you, erasing the words you wish you had never said and reading the ones you still say over and over again.

9. You will write a new story. After you read the past one more time, you will take out a new journal and write a new beginning for a better future.