When encountering an onerous situation,

what matters is what we choose to think and do.

For all those who know this and have no trouble ignoring situations that distract or frustrate you, I have good news. You get to skip today’s lesson!

For the rest of us, let’s proceed with our blatantly obvious—but really difficult to pull-off—piece of advice.

So, the past is over. Okay.

We can’t fix it. Understood.

All we can do is learn and move on. Got this one, too.

Then what’s our problem? We can’t let go!

We can’t dismiss the grievances, guilt, embarrassment, all the painful memories that seemingly arise from out of nowhere. Just when things are going well and we feel happy, they resurface. And once again, we get carried away, unable to stop an all-too-familiar runaway train of thoughts that appears more regularly than the bullet trains of Japan.

But let go we must. Every single moment, at every turn. Whether the memory is an upsetting one or a good one. Just keep letting go, gently, but firmly. And with persistence! Things will get better.