Your Past Is Your Past.

Not Denying Your Past Is Important To Grow.

Your Past Is Your Past. We all have a past. Admittedly, some people’s pasts are shinier than others, but it is what it is. Our past is ours to own.

Now, with the exception of the obvious, we shouldn’t hide our past, because sometimes it is what forms our future. We can look back and see our mistakes, vow never to make them again and move forward to create a new, positive life for ourselves, using what is behind us as fuel to move to what lies in front of us.

I have known former drug users get clean, start again and really work hard to be successful. I have met people who have come out of prison for burglary (admittedly a horrible crime), realise what they did was awful, make sincere apologies and move forward to the next stage of their lives, one of fulfilment, selflessness and peace of mind.

Owning Our Past Makes the Future Easier.

Of all the people with a checkered past, the ones who seem to really start living their lives are the ones who don’t deny it. They don’t hide it, they own it, try to use their experiences to help others and go on to be popular, successful members of their community. You will see them talking to the youth, urging them not go down that dark road. They seem to be the first in line to lend a helping hand to those who need it, and they usually never have a bad word to say about anyone.

My own past was something that once filled me with shame. I was a weak child, teenager and young man, bullied and beaten by anyone who “just felt like it”. A disappointment to my father, who urged me to stand up for myself, he didn’t realise that at eight stone soaking wet, teeth like Bugs Bunny and a stutter that drew laughter from classmates, this was no easy task, so much so that I didn’t even bother trying.

It wasn’t until I started Combat Sports & Training that I found where I belonged, I found my confidence and my place in the world, and so when I became a full-time, professional instructor, I made sure that there were no skeletons hidden in the closet. Every person who comes to train with me knows I came from a place of weakness, and now, well, now I don’t do too badly at all. Here comes the cliché: “If I can do it, you can too.”

The reaction I see when I have people who are struggling, children and adults who attend our gym, hear my background and realise that they too can achieve things with their lives, is incredibly rewarding.

The same is said for my acute anxiety and panic attacks. Whilst Fight Fortress attracts some people who are there just for the physical side of training, we also have our fair share of students who know of my agoraphobia and, at one time, poor mental health, and so they come to us to learn Fear Control. I refused to lie and hide my previous problems just because it may make me look weak. It is, in fact, the opposite.

Lending a Helping Hand by Being Honest.

I also went through a terrible stage where I abused alcohol, so much so that I nearly lost my life, before sobering up and starting to fight again. I don’t hide this, and I am not particularly proud of the fact that for three years I drank every single day, was hospitalised after falling down the stairs, lost my memory on countless nights and upset my family. But I am not ashamed to share that with people who ask, either. How can I tell them, hand on heart, that they can pull through, things do get better, if I am denying my own past, my own mistakes and horror stories?

They have to see that failing isn’t nice, but it is part of life, and so, so is recovery and success, so is honesty. If you want to move on, if you want to succeed and go on to help people, you first have to own your past and then learn not to deny it.

People will respect you a lot more for it, and you deserve that.

If you have any questions, please just contact me at info@simonmorrell.com