Diamond Author
So here you are practicing positive thinking, focusing on the goodness that's in your life and that's coming into your life. You're feeling good about yourself and your future. Then it happens. Someone said something or something happened that triggered the memory of a past negative event or comment that really cut deep.
At first you tried to ignore it, but the pang of the pain starts bubbling up from inside you soon followed by a gushing outpouring of emotions. You find yourself absorbed with feelings of hurt, anger and depression over something which occurred months ago, maybe years ago. "What does it all mean?" you asked, "I thought I was all over that?"
These emotions many times come from unresolved issues; perhaps you never resolved the issue with the other person or even within yourself. Yes, you moved on but the roots of the problem were never dealt with, was never uprooted. And when the right conditions came, like deep roots come alive and begin to surface in spring, up came those memories and the emotions that belong to them.
3 common mistakes and 3 resolutions to turn your negative experiences into positive lessons.
Mistake #1 - Shoving it under the rug
The worst thing you could do at this point is to shove the memory under the rug and pretend like it never happened, because it did and now you're reliving it over again in your mind and emotions. You may try to cover it up like soil covering up old roots in the garden. Guess what will soon happen? The roots will find their way, break through to the top soil and continue to grow.
Resolution #1 - Face it and deal with it
When you find unwanted roots in your garden, what do you do? You dig deeper and begin to uproot the unwanted roots. It doesn't matter so much as to how they got there as to the fact that they are there and you don't want them.
Face yourself, look at the situation, acknowledge how you felt and feel about it and consciously uproot the pain of it and release it from your life. Like garden roots that extend across the length of the garden, you need to keep digging and uprooting until you've got it all out. Sometimes this process may take some time depending on how willing and persistent you are in releasing the hurt, the negative past experience from your life.
Mistake #2 - Becoming consumed by the emotions of the negative past situation
Allowing negative emotions to consume you will hinder you from making progress. When you are engulfed in this energy it's difficult to see the positive and glean the invaluable gems hidden amid the adversity.
Resolution #2 - Redirect your energy
Instead of focusing on how awful you felt or how bad the situation was, redirect your energy into looking for the hidden gems, the vital life lessons you can take away from that experience. It will do you greater good if you ask, "What could I or what did I learn from this?" or "How has this helped my life since then?"
Grab out a pen and paper because you may come up with a whole lot more than you thought. Then you'll begin to see how every situation, though at first brush seemed cloaked in negativity, holds within them the right measure of pressure and heat to mould you into the person you need to be.
Mistake #3 - Retreat to the old way of thinking
As the old pain and emotions emerge, you begin to retreat to the old way of thinking and once again you begin to harbour anger and resentment which binds you in their grip.
Resolution #3 - Refocus your attention and keep moving forward
Okay, you've fallen off the wagon, so to speak, but this is part of the growth process. Babies fall many times before they master the art of walking. During the learning process their muscles are strengthened and they understand the mechanics of learning to balance themselves.
Look at this as part of the learning process where you effectively deal with weak untrained 'muscles' and also master the mechanics of focusing and refocusing your attention on growth and healing. As you do this, you'll open up the flow of positive energy to enter into you and enrich your life tremendously.
About this Author
Changing your life may seem like an overwhelming frustrating process. But it doesn't have to be if you're given simple doable step-by-step strategies that will get you from where you are to where you want to be and experience a transformed life.
Now I invite you to go to http://www.changinginsideoutnow.com for more practical life-changing tips and steps to change your life from the inside out and claim your free copy of the ebook Changing Inside Out Now! The Power of Unconditional Love.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alicia_Isaacs
