Let me lay down something for you. The past is the past, the present is the present, and the future is what you are working toward. Getting hung up in the past is about as effective as getting in your car and expecting it to turn itself on and drive you where you want to go. Yes, I grew up in Nebraska on a farm. Yes, my family had very traditional views about money. No, I didn’t let any of it stop me from breaking the mold and forging my own path. My family believed (and still believes) you must work hard for money and there is never enough of it. Do I get hung up on that? No. Money is just one of those topics we agree to disagree about and we put it on our “no talk” list.
It’s not about where you “came from.” It’s where you are right now and where you want to go. Back to the car. Where you are is in the driver’s seat. Where you want to go is the store. What actions do you take to get from where you are to where you want to go? You put your key in the ignition, start your car, back out of the driveway, put your car in drive and GO! When you do something as simple as drive to the store, does where you drove yesterday affect the way you drive today? Of course not! So why should the past, where you “came from,” or anything else affect your drive to succeed?
It shouldn’t! Leave it in the rear-view mirror. That was then, this is now – and where you were has no impact on where you have the potential to go in the future. Sure, it’s a part of you. Embrace that, just like I embrace that Nebraska is part of me. But use it as fuel and never ever let it stop you from achieving your big, hairy, audacious dreams.
You can do this! I have faith in you!