In the past, I've allowed my past to not only equal my future but also to predict it. I'm not alone in this, I assure you. It seems to run rampant among the people I've encountered in my life. Why is it that we allow ourselves to become imprisoned by our self-imposed chains, binding us to our past and making it difficult to move forward? Our beliefs of who we are, what we deserve, our worthiness or lack thereof, mixed with guilt and fear bind us to the reality that is our current situation. But does this have to be? Is there a solution? It seems to me that the best place to start is the past. Find out why you feel the way you feel. OWN that feeling. Be responsible for it. If you don't own up to having the feeling, you can't do anything to heal and release it so it doesn't continue to affect your life. Some people will have more pent up feelings than others. Some may be able to hide them better. Others may not seem to have an issue at all. Believe it or not, it's also another place for gratitude (you knew I'd throw that in there, didn't you?) Learning to be grateful for every situation and feeling is such an empowering feeling and does so much to move you forward in your life. I hope you learn the power it holds as well. The main thing is that we must realize that our past doesn't have to remain as our present or move into our future with us. If you have guilt from the past, forgive yourself. I know it sounds easy but is far from easy. But it can be done. If you harbor hatred toward someone for something they did to you, forgive them. In forgiving them, you are releasing one of those chains that bind you so well. I didn't say to forget what they did to you and become a human doormat. I said to forgive them. They did something bad. Something that was a mistake. Something that they may or may not regret. It doesn't matter if they do or don't. What matters is that you let it go. Let them be human. Let their mistake be in the past. I read a quote somewhere about not forgiving being like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. Such a true statement... Why hold onto old hurts like a battle scar to be shown to the world over and over again? Those old hurts become "your story" and that story defines who you currently are and is a good predictor of who you will become. It's easy to fall into the trap of who you think you are due to the past events of your life when in reality, it's up to you. It's always up to you. No matter what. Isn't that a wonderful feeling? I've had past hurts and shame and guilt and they've literally eaten me up inside. I felt worthless for the longest time. That worthlessness moved into physical ailments. I never thought I could get over them or become anyone of real worth. It wasn't until I realized I already was someone of real worth that I came to understand. We're all worthy. We're all special. We all have unique gifts. And it's time to look forward to 2009 and dig deep within ourselves and realize it's time to shine. Let's shine our light on the world.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God! Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine like children do. We are meant to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not in some of us; it's in all of us! And as we let our light shine, we give others permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson

That's one of my all time favorite quotes (from A Return to Love) and it's so very appropriate for this new year. I've committed to personally shine in 2009 (I'm sure you'll be seeing so many variations of that this year) and I invite you to do the same. ** Side note - The photo is of my beautiful daughter, Danielle, who with her friend, Alison (the photographer,) were showing off their creativity. That is how she shines. She's incredibly creative and a beautiful soul and I'm very proud of her. **

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