“It is said that nothing in our lives is ever lost, that nothing can prevent its having been. That is why, so very often the weight of the past lies ineluctably upon the present. But that is why it is so real in memory, so wholly itself, so far beyond replacement.”
― Marcel Proust, Jean Santeuil
I heard someone say at a conference a few weeks ago, “Your past is not necessarily a direct trajectory for your future.” I don’t know if it’s a quote from someone else, but it sounded like it.
If we messed up in the past, failed in some way, came from the wrong side of the tracks, had the wrong parents, etc, we act like it was a death sentence to our success.
It’s important to let go of the idea that if you were on one path, you have to stay on that path. It is one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves, myself included.
Though the past has valuable experiences that have become valuable lessons, we can choose to change paths.
I hope you choose the best path you can, and if that doesn’t work give yourself permission to change paths. You have just one life.
