Ring Around the Not So Rosy

What attributed to you becoming the way you are? Maybe it wasn't all bad. 

This weekend I had the unique opportunity to see where my fiance is from, who he is related to, the yards that he played in and the trees that he fell out of as a child. We stayed in his family home and picked fruit from their citrus trees (pretty idillic, right??). Our time in his town and neighborhood sparked a thought in my head about my own childhood and the way that I experience my upbringing. 

I think I (and maybe you too) tend to consider the ways that our upbringing wasn't so great. This sometimes causes me to just shut out my childhood and push away memories. A little bit of specific amnesia sets in and we are found saying: "What, my past? NO no that has nothing to do with me NOW". 

 The danger of that can be unfortunate, you can focus on only the negative things that happened and/or you can shut out the good memories when you saturate yourself in the bad. I get that some childhoods have more significant pain than others. Or that the thought of even saying something bad about the way you were raised seems entirely too disrespectful. My hope in writing this post is that we can find a balance between the two. Your upbringing certainly has affected you but I do not believe that it is entirely deterministic. Consider your childhood this week; the good and the bad. Begin to consider how who you are is a reflection of your past. I am wondering how do our pasts impact our future selves and what can we do about it? 

If you want to dig deeper, check out the coaching section of my website and email me about my rates. 

xoxo 

Amy