I remember being a child of about 9 years old and being very chubby. One specific teacher used to ridicule fat people and the other children in class would chuckle. I didn't. I felt very conscious about my appearance and always assumed that they were laughing at me as I was the only fat one in class. 

When I reflect back I realize that this impacted my self-confidence substantially at the time, right into my teenage years. Fortunately for me, at age 13 I started to loose excess body fat. However, the shackles of this experience grated into the flesh of my mental limbs, leaving me with deep scars. Even at this very young age I unconsciously wanted to deal with those scars because I intuitively felt that my future depended on it. I became very active with sport and eventually competed in Bodybuilding. Overcoming my past insecurities about my weight and appearance was indescribable. It took me roughly 10 years to break the shackles of me being 'fat'. I am still a product of my past exprience, but I am no longer its prisoner.

Can you think of an experience from your past still keeping you shackled? What kind of freedom have you given away? What have you given up on? Have you dealt with it or are you denying its existence? How will your life be different once you have dealt with it?

We can not do much about the time lost due to bad experiences from the past keeping us stuck. The past is the past. However, we can do something about it today. We can intentionally create a happy past from now on. Tomorrow, today will be the past. If we control the outcome of today, we can have a glorious past to refer back to. 

How then can you create a happy past today?

Firstly, realize that past failures and disappointments do not predict future performance. Edmund Burke said that you can never plan the future by the past. Your unhappy past can have an impact on your future only if you allow it or don't deal with it.

This brings me to the second point: confront your fears today. The deeper the scars from the past, the more courage you'll need. You may even consider finding some external help from someone you can trust. But confront it. 

Thirdly, enjoy the blessings of the present. Don't allow your past to overshadow these blessings. "Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some", said Charles Dickens. 

Fourthly, visualize the future you want. Write down affirmations about your dreams and goals and make it a new reality for your subconscious mind. Your subconscious can not differentiate between fact and fiction. It only acts on stored information. Guess what, you can consciously supply it with the right information! Eventually, the new information will override the old and your life will start to reflect the new YOU.

Fifthly, act on your new goals and dreams. Put an action plan in place that will enable you to achieve them. The creative energy generated in the process will draw you closer to it day by day, eventually pulling you away from the shackles of your past negative experiences.

Lastly, get in touch with your own spirituality. Embrace it. Have faith in God. He is the ultimate Counselor and Healer of your brokenness. Ask for the freedom you desire and live with a sense of expectation.

"The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds."      William James