Dear Draco,
I've read almost every one of your articles and must say you give some really great advice! I love how you always act like you don't like giving advice, but I know deep down you'd miss answering these owls if you had to stop. Anyway, I finally convinced myself to write to you about a problem that I have been having.
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about my future and all of the possibilities that come with it. But, while I'm excited about what awaits me in the future, I also feel as if my past choices are holding me back from reaching my fullest potential.
I was wondering if you had any advice for me regarding this problem and if you have faced a similar struggle before.
-Stuck in the Past
Dear Past,
I hope you didn't think I'd agree to help you through flattery, although I do have a minute or two until the next Quidditch Match recap starts. Eh, who am I kidding? Flattery always works on me, so let's get started.
So, you say you're excited about the future, but your past choices are holding you back? Believe it or not, I think you will find many people have faced a similar struggle at one point in their lives, myself included. I remember one instance while I was growing up. I clung to this idea that I needed my father's approval, and in order to do so, that led me down a completely different path that I probably wouldn't have chosen for myself otherwise. Not only did the "need" to seek my father's approval hinder my growth and my future potential, but it also caused my actions to hurt others, which I deeply regret. In all honesty, it took many years afterward for me to mentally get past all of the mistakes I made, but when I finally did, I started to feel myself thinking less about what I had done and slowly becoming more excited about my future.
As you can see, it's incredibly easy to hold on to past expectations or things you have no control over presently, but in all actuality, you need to work on moving past that. I know, what amazing advice is that? Move on? I'm almost positive you've heard that more than a few times already, but it's true. Clinging to the past not only hinders your future self, but it is also going to cause you to miss out on all of the great things to come. How do I know there are more great things to come for you? No, I did check the crystal ball that I accidentally misplaced during my third year at Hogwarts. I just know this to be true, as there are great things for us all in the future.
"But how does someone move on?" is probably what you're asking. Well, one of the first steps you can take is to set some goals. Setting goals not only helps you figure out what you really want in the future, but it is a great way to redirect any energy you may be spending on living in the past. If I were you, I would grab my favorite drink of choice: tea, Butterbeer, coffee; honestly, it doesn't really matter, but then I'd sit down and have some really hard conversations with myself about what I want for my future. As you do so, you'll slowly start seeing what things you don't like about your past or present, and then you will be able to pinpoint what specifically you want to change.
Another piece of advice I can give involves getting out of your comfort zone. A lot of times we struggle to move on from things in the past instead of towards the future we want because we get too comfortable with what we know. Change is oftentimes very difficult, and it's not always going to feel comfortable to move on from something you're used to, but change is something we must all do. You don't have to make significant changes all at once to get out of your comfort zone immediately, but little changes that help you progress over time will help you move forward to your ideal future.
Before I wrap up this letter, I wanted to touch on forgiveness. It's important to face your past actions, but it's also important to forgive yourself because without forgiveness you won't be able to move forward, and honestly, you'll just be wasting your time and energy. Now, I'm not saying that you should completely write off something you did, especially if your actions affected other people, but eventually, you do need to come to terms with this and stop beating yourself up over it. Keep in mind that despite everything you have gone through or done, you're still capable of achieving the future you're dreaming of. Our experiences and mistakes don't have to be what defines us, and our ideal future is just out there waiting.
Well, I hope this letter helps. If you take anything from this letter at all, please let it be that Draco is amazing...as usual and that your future is as bright as a well-cast Lumos charm.
- Draco