As we work to grow, to learn, to make better choices and to refine who we are and gain more knowledge of who we are today and who we want to be, there are those who want to hold us back, to keep us in the past and hold us hostage there. Many of us have a past we’ve worked to learn from and move on from, and we would hope that those in our life would support us as we become our best selves, but that’s not always the case.
Sometimes it benefits other people to hold us back in their minds. It may make them feel better about themselves, possibly, because they may not have grown and moved forward the way they should have or hoped. By holding us back in their minds, and treating us as our old selves, they hold on to what they knew, what was comfortable for them, because they are not ready to let go and acknowledge who we are today. This, not only, hurts them, but can hurt us as well, as we struggle to demonstrate how much we’ve changed while setting new boundaries that coincide with our life today. We can feel a constant tug-of-war between where we’ve been and where we are that can be exhausting, if we let it, because in reality, we don’t have to make it comfortable for anyone, our life today, as long as it is something that works for us, and, is better for us. It is not our job to tailor our life to suit someone else’s expectations, or the parameters they have set for us. We are the only ones who can say what is right for us, and if we leave some people behind, all we can do is hope they catch up, not hold ourselves back waiting for them to do so.
There are others too, who may want the best for us, but need time to see the changes we’re making. After many years of being a certain way, that change we see in ourselves, and know we’ve made, can take time to make its way through to those who have seen us one way most of our lives. Give them time to catch up, and try not to get angry when they’re not there yet. Don’t let them tell you you can only be what they know, show them who you are today by making better choices and living your life in a way that lets you shine your brightest. Nothing convinces a doubting mind more than seeing the change in you. We change more minds by showing rather than telling.
We all want people to see us for who we are today, but that’s not always the case. Don’t let anyone hold you hostage in your past, who we were is not who we are today, and if someone else is not able to see that, let yourself move on without getting tied up in a battle to prove your worth. Know your worth and who you are today, who you’ve worked to be and who you are working to grow into, and let those around you catch up on their own time. You work on you, that’s all you can do. SLAY on!
SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you let people hold you hostage in your past? How do they do this? Why do you let them do this? Do you feel trapped by their behavior? You’re not SLAYER. No one else can tell you who you are, and we all are entitled to change, grow and strive to be who we are meant to be, if someone isn’t able to see that, or support it, don’t give them the power to take that from you. Do you feel confident in the choices you are making? Are you proud of how far you’ve come? Are you able to share that with people in your life who support you? Do you see that someone’s inability to support you comes from their own insecurity or inability to see the best in you because they don’t see it in themselves, or, they just haven’t been able to catch up to you? Be you, and those who are able to walk with you on your path will contribute to your growth, and those who are not, will have to watch as you continue to overcome the obstacles and challenges in your life to lead a fuller and richer life.
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
State Of Slay™ 