I usually don't get hooked on a TV show, but I must admit I am hooked on the ABC Wednesday night show "Lost."

The show is about a group of people whose plane has crashed on a tropical island. Through frequent flashbacks, we get to see who these people were before the crash, and learn a little bit about their history.

Just like in life, each person brings their history to the situation. One of the implications of the show is that each of these people were brought to the island to work out their baggage.

Maybe so.

What occurred to me watching the show is that each of us have choice of what to do with our history - allow it to weight us down as baggage or use it as a springboard for our future.

History as baggage

History can become baggage when we:

Get stuck in lamenting the past.

Believe that the past always equals the future.

Resent the unfairness of our past.

Allow our past to define us.

History as a springboard

History can become a springboard when we:

Learn from our past.

Make a place for it and then put it in it's place - which is behind us.

Get it that the past does not have to equal the future.

Use our past to refine us.

Your history, good or bad, can be baggage or a springboard.

Which will it be for you?

Jeff Herring

Jeff is a marriage and family therapist, singles and relationship coach, mentor coach, speaker, syndicated relationship columnist and author.

Jeff has a full time private practice in Tallahassee in which he specializes in couples, teen and parent counseling. He also is a relationship coach specializing in working with couples and singles. Some of his professional activities include:

==> Internationally syndicated relationship columnist through Knight-Ridder/Tribune Media Services, with a weekly readership of over 10 million worldwide

==> Sought after speaker for organizations, associations, churches, and corporations

==>Twice weekly appearances on The Steve and Sara Show on Magic 107.1

==> Author of "Keep the Changes: 52 Tools for Successful Living" a collection of his best columns, as well as several e-books including "How to Create a Passionate and Loving Relationship.........Forever," "How to Beat the BOZOs: Dealing with difficult people without becoming one," and "Tame Your Teen: THE survival guide for parenting your teenager.

==> Founder and CEO of TheArticleGuy.com

==> Founder and CEO of SecretsofGreatRelationships.com

==> Founder and CEO of ParentingYourTeeanger.com

==> Founder and CEO of ToolsforSuccessfulLiving.com

==> President of BuildingYourIdealPractice.com

==> President of ConsciousDatingTallahassee.com