The all too familiar English saying "A leopard can't change its spots."
Most of the English-speaking community will be familiar with the above saying. It compares people, almost always in a negative light, to leopards and refers to them not being able to change their ways.
In my opinion, this is an extremely negative connotation, and not completely true and correct.
Although there are many people in this world that do not wish to change their ways or have been unable to do so, there are many others who have, and done so successfully. I'd like to believe I fall within the latter category, as I've faced my own demons, cleaned out the skeletons in my closet, and found ways to deal with my own shortcomings.
To shed some light on the above, let me explain a bit more.
To simplify things here, I'll only be discussing this from an emotional perspective.
Many of us have been through some form of trauma in our lives. Some are living through it as I type. Life experiences, whether traumatic, positive, negative, or plutonic, all form part of who we become and how we view life. These are the spots that life paints on you and add towards the character you become.
I have been painted with various spots throughout my life. Some I cherish, while others have been hard for me to look at. The key to changing your own spots, or how you view them, is through acceptance, understanding, and moving forward. You need to pull those skeletons from the closet, dust them off and look forward. Holding onto the negatives of your past will keep dragging you down and you'll just remain stuck in a cesspool. There is no better feeling than being able to let go of the past, live in the present, and look forward to the future.
As simple as the above may sound, some of you will know it's not as simple and easy as that. Truly taking a hard look at yourself as an individual can be challenging, even daunting. There are people in my life who still haven't been able to deal with their past, even after professional psychological intervention, and it shines through in how they're living their lives today. It's an unfortunate sight since it takes a decision and some commitment, and they'll be in a far greater mental space than they're currently in.
At the end of the day, the only person who can make that change is yourself. It's not always an easy journey, but you can make it worth it. It doesn't have to be today, tomorrow, next week, or even next year. People are different in many ways and have had many different experiences in life. All I can say is the sooner you can do it, the better your outlook on life, and yourself as an individual, will become. You choose the spots you wish to wear, the ones you want to show the world. Life won't always be easy, but you can make it worth your while.
