Into the Light by Deb Smouse
I believe it’s important to start each day fresh.
There is something to be said for allowing the desire for positivity in your life to win out over the negatives of past experiences. Countless self-improvement books and life coaches will tell you that in order to lead a conscious and fulfilled life you must focus on the good things and forget about the bad. I’m a strong believer that attitudes of gratitude and thankfulness will enhance your life, and that looking for the silver lining in every situation is beneficial. I believe in the restorative power of sleep as a path allowing you to treat each waking morning as it is: a brand new day. I have also discovered that sometimes, you have to be willing to go to the dark places in order to experience true growth.
Whether improving your golf game, learning a new language, or discovering what you really want out of life, it takes a concerted effort on your part. It’s easy to find a space in your life where you are comfortable and stay there; it doesn’t make you a bad person. Complacency, however, will inhibit change in a person. Let’s be honest: any successful growth takes hard work.
“…would I allow my past to prevent me from becoming a better person or would I find a way to deal with the hurtful things in my past?”
In my March column, I discussed how I had seen a more growth in myself as a person than I had seen in all of 2008. What I didn’t discuss at the time was this: in order to make that leap, I had to find the courage to face some of the demons of my past. It was not simply confronting those demons; it was digging into the roots and then making a choice: would I allow my past to prevent me from becoming a better person or would I find a way to deal with the hurtful things in my past?
Courage may come from within, but it is easier to find the courage if you have someone willing to hold your hand on the hardest days. I don’t know if I could have done it alone; I was blessed with having the support of a man who loves me unconditionally. Maybe that’s why I had been unwilling to go into the darker places of my mind in the past. The point is, once you allow yourself to venture into the dark places, will you stay there and dwell or will you find your way back into the light?
Confronting or at least coming to terms, with the demons of the past is a critical piece of becoming a more satisfied and focused individual. Like everything in life, however, it is a choice. You can choose to allow the difficulties of the past haunt you and hinder you from growth or you can choose to embrace them as simply a part of your past and grow beyond them. I chose to grow. I can honestly say that the positive changes in my life have made me a happier and more complete person. Allow yourself to explore the darkness; just remember that growing back into the light is what will separate you from the status quo.
Deb Smouse is the Editor in Chief at All Things Girl. She now checks the 40-45 box on surveys, loves to travel and sings in the shower. She dreams of sunny beaches, moonlight nights, and shared adventures with the man she loves. Find out more about Deb on our About Page.
