Every year at Passover, matzo, or unleavened bread, is eaten to remind us of the Israelites journey from slavery to freedom. Freeing yourself of the past requires a similar journey. Matzo is not required.

Do you ever find yourself doing some ritual that you’ve done for years, and, one day, the ritual finally caused you to be freeing yourself of the past?  I think about that every year at Passover, the Jewish holiday that celebrates the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.  This is a holiday that, over many years, helped me to transform into the man I am today.

The story is rich because we can all relate to it.  After all, the Israelites weren’t the only slaves who wandered the proverbial desert in search of freedom.  Many of us do that today – right now in this very moment, in fact.  We are slaves of our own making.  Freeing yourself of the past can only help you get you where you want to be.

I like to think of Passover as an opportunity to be solution-oriented. It’s the same attitude and approach that I take with clients that you can also use for freeing yourself of the past.  Often, the way we see ourselves is a reflection of where we come from, rather than envisioning where we want to go to.

It’s totally okay to reflect back on stories of hardship.  But, there is a big difference between perpetuating stories of the past, and from becoming free of the past.  Perpetuating stories of the past leads to continued suffering in the present.  Becoming free of the past puts the past into context.  You are who you are because of that history. But that’s not all that you are.

You can apply this mind shift to your personal brand and style.

Be open to learn something new.  Freeing yourself of the past requires that you consider a fresh approach.  Most clients who come to work with me are ready to learn something new about who they are.  Those who are have the very best experiences.  They are smart enough to know that they need to hit the refresh button, and that learning something new about who they are is a painless way to find their “true north.”

Be open to evolve.  Freeing yourself of the past requires that you develop ways of more powerfully harnessing your strengths.  When you do this, you grow into a fuller sense of yourself.  This is very powerful because rather than focusing on perceived weak spots, the focus of which keeps you enslaved, you are free to evolve with a healthy perspective.  When clients analyze the core attributes of their personal brand and style, it’s a zero negative experience.  When you’re focused solely on the positives, your evolution is close at hand.

Be open to letting go.  Freeing yourself of the past requires that you let go of the limiting beliefs and mindsets that enslave you to the way you have been and no longer want to be.  I know how hard it can be to let go of stuff and fight those demons more than you may realize.  Traumatic experiences that seem a lifetime ago can easily stay with you your whole life if you don’t find a way of letting go of the associated pain.  I never want to forget what happened to me.  So, what I have done is find a way to channel the memories into something positive.  It is very freeing.  If you see yourself, or feel something about who you are, that comes from your far distant past, be open to letting go of those visions and feelings.  I’m sure that those thoughts are there to protect you.  But if you are under the constant need for shelter, you’ll miss learning something new and you’ll miss the chances to evolve.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps successful Silicon Valley technology entrepreneurs and executives discover their personal brands and design their personal styles.  Get Joseph’s free report that helps you know “7 Ways to Transform Your Personal Style.”