The first thing to remember, before you read this article, is everyone has some form of financial baggage. It might be credit card debt from “living beyond our means” during college, an uncomfortable monthly mortgage payment or even a short sale, bankruptcy or foreclosure.  The good news is that your past financial mistakes doesn’t mean your future can’t be pristine!

Here are some tips to wipe it clean:

Realize that yesterday’s mistakes are just that, and you learned from it

Hindsight is 20/20, and it’s easy to have the wisdome from those mistakes, but you didn’t have access to that thinking back then because you hadn’t made the mistake yet.  I had a professor in college who said something in a class that left an indelible mark on me: “Once your mind expands from learning, it can’t go back to the size it was before because it’s already absorbed new knowledge.”  The fact that you can recognize past mistakes means that you learned what you were supposed to learn from those situations and they served their purpose.  When you know better, you do better.

Your thoughts are very powerful – leverage them

We live in a “guilty society,” and when we make mistakes we often think obsessing over them is penance for whatever we’re guilty of having done. While guilt is an unnecessary and fruitless emotion, in order to reflect and do better next time it’s important that we reflect – not obsess!

Ruminating in shouldda-wouldda-couldda really only reinforces that negative thinking that positive change isn’t able to spring from. Another way of looking at it is to call it a self-fulfilling prophecy, where you place yourself in a negative space.  Harsh words (even in your subconscious mind) are discouraging and will keep you from moving forward!

Be grateful for your ability to learn

What separates humans from the rest of the animal world is our memory, reason and skill.  Your memory allows you to remember mistakes made.   Your reason allows you to understand the difference between right and wrong (or in this case making a different decison from the one that led you to the past mistake), and skill is the arsenal that you have to choose from to make different decisions.  That’s quite a bit to be grateful for!

Finding a way to be grateful for the struggle might seem counterintuitive at first, but it’s one of the most powerful ways to not become mired down in thoughts of “why did things have to happen this way,” or “what did I do to deserve this.” The struggle occurred so that you could be aware – and thankful – when you experience the easier times ahead.

Everyone has heard “no pain, no gain,” and the tougher the growing pains the more opportunity to learn – so instead be appreciative of all the decision that got you to where you are today.

Start small

Sometimes we can feel so overwhelmed by the magnitude of changes that need to be made that inaction seems like the best option. Remember the biggest changes are made with the smallest actions – parts, decisions, habits. Shifting those small things changes the shape of the larger picture.

Simply committing to change and an emptying of your financial “baggage” also creates shifts all on its own. When you have a “whatever it takes” mentality, a path is cleared – even if you don’t see it right away.  All you have to do is commit wholeheartedly to starting the process and remember that today’s decisions directly shape your tomorrow.

The greatest power that you have always lies in the present moment. So while your current financial situation might be less than ideal or not where you want it to be exactly, the situation is really just the result of yesterday’s thoughts and decisions.

You essentially already have a clean slate today – it’s all on how you choose to exercise your power that will make your tomorrow look like your yesterday, or something else entirely.

Let your financial past go

If you’re ready to move forward with a clean financial slate, allow your past financial decisions to die along with your negative thoughts and financial habits. Commit to seeing the future with a fresh perspective and it will undoubtedly be brighter than any of your yesterdays.  Reflect on these thoughts and print this article, and pull it out from time to time and let it reinvigorate you.  Rely on a close friend to remind you of your new perspective, your new goal, and your new slate.

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