Goodbye to the past

The time has come to close the door to the past.
We may have already cut toxic ties to unhealthy people and situations in our lives. But cutting ourselves loose from our old way of being the old “us”,opens the doors of growth.
Ernest Hemingway wrote, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man.  True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.” In fact, leaving your old self behind--the one filled with guilt, anger, hopelessness, insecurity and uncertainty--ushers in a freedom too sweet to pass up.
In fact, researchers have found concrete steps to promote lasting changes as we move forward.  These five stages of change: precontemplation ,
contemplation, preparation, action and
maintenance support our personal growth.

Precontemplation
In this stage we work towards an awareness of our negative patterns but don’t yet act.

Contemplation
With absolute clarity, we see the behaviors/patterns in our lives which no longer serve us and can envision the type of life we desire.Preparation
This is a crucial stage as our intentions to change meet
action. We know that our guilt, anger and anxiety hold us back, for example, and come up with strategies to break free.

Action
We change our behavior. Period.  Not another day of devaluing ourselves, nor of settling for less than we deserve.

Maintenance
We consistently work at maintaining our hard-won health and new way of being.  No matter the temptation, we do not run back to what has broken us.  We remain vigilant as we live our lives with greater strength and self awareness.
Indeed, saying “goodbye” to the old you requires practice and consistency in our actions, thoughts and words. And above all else, the deeply rooted belief that change is not merely possible but right on time