Don't forget what you might regret...

If God treats you well by teaching you a disastrous lesson, you never forget it. 

~Ray Bradbury

I was walking along behind Eddy one morning feeling exceptionally light...

It was as though I understood the meaning of 'walking on air.' Were my feet hitting the ground? I had to laugh as I looked down and saw legs that we were far more toned and muscular than they had been a couple of years ago. And I no longer felt like each day was a challenging struggle to remain focused and committed to getting my health in order. I thought of a conversation I had just had with a son, who had also just emerged from a difficult struggle. I remembered telling him, "Never forget where you were. Don't allow the great feelings of now to diminish the lessons learned. That's how we end up back where we started again..."

It's not that there is nothing worth forgetting and leaving behind.  It's just the stuff we don't want to be regretting...again. 

So how do you know what you need to lose in the land of forgotten memories and what should come along for the ride? It comes down to two things for me: 

1) I will forget anything that causes me to feel ashamed. Shame is a vile thing that prevents growth and keeps you in bondage to habits and attitudes that destroy. So, if something attached to your past causes you that feeling, it needs to be forgotten. Permanently. 

2) I will forget anything that makes me fearful. Fear is a detriment to confidence and security. You can't feel safe if you are afraid - it just won't jive. Lessons can be scary, no doubt about it. But the fear that you will fail again in a moment of weakness is just irrational. Forget that fear. Forever.

In short, all lessons you carry forward have to be tested and tried.

It takes some time to know what is worth keeping and what needs to be forgotten. We want so badly to know instantly and have the recipe for success, but the greatest lessons are the lifelong ones. See them as gifts, not curses. 

Keep hitting the nail on the head.

Keep adjusting your sails.

Keep remembering what you've learned.

Cheers.