Ashamed Of Your Past?

Are you proud of the person you are today and the life you lead? If you’ve come a long way from where you once were, you are likely proud of who you have become. But, are you ashamed of that past?

Change happens moment by moment, day by day. The person we are today is far different from the person we were even 5 or 10 years ago. Experiences and lessons shape the person we are. However, becoming successful can cause some people to feel ashamed of their past.

Everyone Reacts Differently

Because people are all unique, each person reacts differently under similar circumstances. Siblings from the same household grow up into completely different adults. Birth order may have something to do with it. Individual personalities may also play a part.

We are all born with strengths and weaknesses. Even growing up in a dysfunctional household doesn’t change who we are at the core. If we have the internal strength to pull through the adversity and shape our life for the better, nothing is going to hold us back. However, not all of us have that vision or strength to find that success. Perhaps the damage to the internal psyche is so extreme that any vision of success is clouded with the mud of doom and despair.

Ashamed Of Their Past

I’ve seen people who came from dysfunctional families who are ashamed of where they came from. They don’t want people to know they were born into poverty, or abuse or anything other than an acceptable normal household. I feel sorry for these people.

They throw away their past instead of building upon it. They carry with them no memories of who they were or what steps they had to take to reach the pedestal they currently stand upon. Instead of using this knowledge to help others succeed, they look down upon those who cannot find the steps to take.

We Can All Fall Down

And, as hard as we work to succeed, there are always events and catastrophes which can knock us back down off our high horses and put us back at the baseline where we started. The business executive can lose everything in a tragedy and find himself back where he started from 30 years earlier.

There’s a difference between being proud of our accomplishments, and being so prideful we look down upon our past and others who are living where we once were. Those who are ashamed of their past fall into the second category.

We are a country divided right now — divided by race, religion, sex, sexual preferences and financial stability.  Instead of looking at the ways we are similar, people are looking for ways they can climb upon their high horse to look down on others.

I grew up living the story of the “haves” VS the “have-nots”. We were part of the have-nots. We had days when food was limited and clothes were always hand-me-downs. But, we had our needs taken care of.

Proud Of My Past

I never had the breaks growing up. Life has been a struggle for as long as I’ve been alive. Money has been tight or non-existent many times when I needed it. But, instead of being ashamed of that past, I’m proud of the experiences it has given me. I have a generous heart, willing to help others in need, because I know what it is like to want and need something with no way to procure it.

There are many days when I wish things could have been different, when I could have known what it was like to have a new dress or eat out at a nice restaurant for my birthday. But if I had, would I still be the same person I am today? I don’t think so.