Break Through Past Experience
Almost everyone will have negative experiences. Sometimes they can be severe and traumatic—a car accident, a physical illness, or the death of a loved one. Other times the experience might be painful, but not overwhelming; a boss might yell at you, a friend might betray you, or something embarrassing might happen to you.
These types of experiences are inevitable. The problem arises, however, when we let negative past experiences control the decisions we make for the future. It’s common for people to get stuck in the negative experiences and emotions of the past and then never live a full life in the future. This happens when we constantly replay the negative experience in our minds, and allow our emotions to be overtaken by the pain of the experience. That in turn makes it difficult for us to think positively about the future. The result is that we end up failing to move forward in life.
Well, here’s a great way to break free from your past negative experiences and emotions so that you can live a free and full life in the future.
First start by remembering the negative experience. Let’s say that your boss scolded you in front of all the other people in your office, leaving you feeling humiliated. Fix an image of this experience in your mind, replaying what happened in your mind with as much detail as possible.
The next step is to remake this image, almost as if you were an editor of animated films. In your mind, take that image and make it funny, goofy, or outrageous. You might imagine your boss wearing nerdy clothing. Or perhaps he’s yelling at you with a wimpy or squeaky voice. Perhaps his pants fall down as he yells. Maybe he’s wearing lipstick. Maybe you can see all the words coming out of his mouth and then you stuff them all back down his throat. You get the idea; just re-imagine the experience in a funny and light-hearted way.
After you have re-imagined the situation, then concentrate on pushing the entire scene far away from you and your life. Make it drift off into the distance. Imagine that the voice of your boss and the image of him fade away. It also helps to transform the imagined image from color into black and white.
By using this technique, you will dramatically reduce the power of the negative emotions attached to the experience. By remaking the experience without negative emotions, you will break down the downward negative cycle in which so many people find themselves trapped. The goal is to simply re-frame the experience in a new light, one that is not charged with negative emotions. This process can be used repeatedly until the negative and painful emotions have significantly diminished.
Once you’ve accomplished this freedom from the past, the next step is to start moving forward with optimistic and positive plans for the future. Keep pushing the past further into the distance, and then replace all that will a strong focus on a positive future. With the negative emotions of the past having been pushed far away, you can now substitute the past with dreams of the future. The key is to focus on new and positive dreams and plans. Develop new dreams and start working to make them a reality.
How tragic it would be to let your entire future be dictated by something negative in the past! The past is … well, in the past! So don’t dwell on that and instead look to the new horizons ahead. And remember to always ROCK ON!
These types of experiences are inevitable. The problem arises, however, when we let negative past experiences control the decisions we make for the future. It’s common for people to get stuck in the negative experiences and emotions of the past and then never live a full life in the future. This happens when we constantly replay the negative experience in our minds, and allow our emotions to be overtaken by the pain of the experience. That in turn makes it difficult for us to think positively about the future. The result is that we end up failing to move forward in life.
Well, here’s a great way to break free from your past negative experiences and emotions so that you can live a free and full life in the future.
First start by remembering the negative experience. Let’s say that your boss scolded you in front of all the other people in your office, leaving you feeling humiliated. Fix an image of this experience in your mind, replaying what happened in your mind with as much detail as possible.
The next step is to remake this image, almost as if you were an editor of animated films. In your mind, take that image and make it funny, goofy, or outrageous. You might imagine your boss wearing nerdy clothing. Or perhaps he’s yelling at you with a wimpy or squeaky voice. Perhaps his pants fall down as he yells. Maybe he’s wearing lipstick. Maybe you can see all the words coming out of his mouth and then you stuff them all back down his throat. You get the idea; just re-imagine the experience in a funny and light-hearted way.
After you have re-imagined the situation, then concentrate on pushing the entire scene far away from you and your life. Make it drift off into the distance. Imagine that the voice of your boss and the image of him fade away. It also helps to transform the imagined image from color into black and white.
By using this technique, you will dramatically reduce the power of the negative emotions attached to the experience. By remaking the experience without negative emotions, you will break down the downward negative cycle in which so many people find themselves trapped. The goal is to simply re-frame the experience in a new light, one that is not charged with negative emotions. This process can be used repeatedly until the negative and painful emotions have significantly diminished.
Once you’ve accomplished this freedom from the past, the next step is to start moving forward with optimistic and positive plans for the future. Keep pushing the past further into the distance, and then replace all that will a strong focus on a positive future. With the negative emotions of the past having been pushed far away, you can now substitute the past with dreams of the future. The key is to focus on new and positive dreams and plans. Develop new dreams and start working to make them a reality.
How tragic it would be to let your entire future be dictated by something negative in the past! The past is … well, in the past! So don’t dwell on that and instead look to the new horizons ahead. And remember to always ROCK ON!
