Guide, not define.

How often are you reminded by the mistakes you've made in the past?

Occasionally?
Daily?
Constantly?

When you think about those mistakes, what kind of language are you using when you engage in thought and reflection? Are you forgiving of your life choices or are you harsh and punishing?

Everyone makes mistakes. But it doesn't mean that you have to pay for it the rest of your life. We are going to make bad choices, but we aren't bad people. We need to remember that. We are not defined by the choices that we make... by the past that we lived.

Our past is meant to guide us.
A compass to influence our decisions.
A sign of how far we have come.
A reminder of where we don't want to go again.