Many people still carry the burden of their childhoods on their shoulders and in their hearts, even though they are vastly different people now. Most painfully, many people haven’t made peace with their former selves. This inability to live their adult lives based on who they are rather than who they were interferes with many aspects of their current lives including their happiness, personal growth, goal attainment, and relationships. Given these challenges, how do you make peace with your past self so you can live a life of meaning, satisfaction, and joy with the latest version of you? Here are some steps.

1. Embrace Your Humanity

    When you embrace your humanity, you accept that you don’t always act in admirable ways, particularly when you are young and are driven more by your unconscious urges than conscious choices. I use the word “embrace” because, after perhaps decades of distancing yourself from your past self, you can now give your younger self the embrace you have longed for for so long and, along with it, the love you craved then and have craved ever since.

2. Acceptance

    You were who you were, you did what you did, and there is nothing you can do to rewrite the past. You have likely suffered sufficiently for your wrongs with perhaps daily self-punishments and certainly a particularly painful kind of long mental suffering. Accept your past self and then move on. Though you can’t change the past, you can create a future that can help you atone for that past.

3. Be the Best Version of Yourself

    Another aspect of your ability to alter the future is to make intentional choices to not be the person you once were and to be the person you wish you had been in the past. Who do you want to be? What values do you wish to live by? What attitudes and beliefs do you want to guide your life? And, ultimately, what impact do you want to have on your world? From these thoughts, you will identify and can then strive to be the best version of yourself.

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1.1. What is the main problem caused by not making peace with one’s former self?

A People struggle with personal safety and goal attainment.

B It prevents people from achieving success in their careers.

C It affects various aspects of people’s current lives negatively.

D It leads to physical illnesses due to constant stress.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据第一段第三句“This inability to live their adult lives based on who they are rather than who they were interferes with many aspects of their current lives including their happiness, personal growth, goal attainment, and relationships.”可知，许多人未能与过去的自己和解，这种无法根据自己现在的身份来过成年生活的能力，干扰了他们当前生活的许多方面，包括幸福、个人成长、目标实现和人际关系。因此，主要问题是它消极地影响了人们当前生活的各个方面。故选C。

2.2. What is the first step to make peace with your past self?

A To try your best to be perfect in every aspect of your life.

B To acknowledge your imperfections and accept your past behaviors.

C To rewrite the past and change your past self at all costs.

D To focus solely on your future goals and ignore the past.

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第二段内容可知，当你拥抱你的人性时，你就会接受你并不总是以令人钦佩的方式行事，尤其是当你年轻的时候，你更多地受到无意识的冲动而不是有意识的选择的驱使。在可能数十年疏远过去的自我之后，你现在可以给年轻的自己一个你渴望已久的拥抱，以及你当时和现在一直渴望的爱。这表明作者的意思是承认自己的不完美并接受自己过去的行为。故选B。

3.3. What does the author suggest as a way to create a better future?

A By constantly blaming oneself for past mistakes.

B By relying only on external help and support.

C By forgiving the negative aspects of one’s past.

D By making choices to be a better person.

解析：选D。细节理解题。根据第四段第一句“Another aspect of your ability to alter the future is to make intentional choices to not be the person you once were and to be the person you wish you had been in the past.”可知，你改变未来的另一个方面是做出有意的选择，不再成为过去的那个人，而是成为你过去希望成为的那个人。这表明作者建议通过有意识地选择成为更好的自己来创造更美好的未来。故选D。

4.4. What does the author seem to convey in the text?

A The past cannot be changed, but the future can be improved.

B People should live in the past to understand their current selves.

C Happiness can only be achieved by ignoring one’s childhood.

D Personal growth is impossible without embracing one’s humanity.

解析：选A。主旨大意题。根据全文内容可知，作者主要告诉我们要接受过去并向前看，通过成为最好的自己来改善未来，而不是被过去所束缚。故选A。