Yesterday’s Gone

One of the greatest obstacles to fulfilling your goals and dreams is the weight of past experiences. Sometimes it seems as though previous choices have already compromised your future.
Is it really possible to choose a new direction for yourself and to make new choices and decisions regardless of your past? Is it possible to start over again? How would you respond to each of the following?
If a person tries cigarettes as a teen, does that person have to continue smoking in the future?*
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure
If a person tries drinking as a teen, does that person have to continue drinking in the future?*
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure
If a person is sexually active as a teen, does that person have to continue to be sexually active in the future?*
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure

Sometimes teens discover they have gotten themselves onto a path that is not taking them where they would eventually like to go. As they look ahead, they do not see hope, freedom, and opportunity. Instead, they are discouraged about the future. But there is hope. Different choices now will lead to different outcomes later. What matters most is not what you have done in the past, but what you will choose today to prepare for your future.

Some believe that teens who become sexually active are not able to make a fresh start – that once they have become sexually active they must continue to be sexually active. What do you think about this? If you knew someone who was sexually active but wanted to make a fresh start, what would you tell them?*
Aspire – Student Yesterday’s Gone

If you have always been abstinent, the material in this chapter can be helpful in knowing how to help others who may be looking for encouragement to make good decisions for their future. It’s important to be supportive of others regardless of previous choices.

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Aspire – Student Yesterday’s Gone

Two out of three teens who have been sexually active regret their decision, saying that they wish they had waited. ¹

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Surveys show that most teens (two out of three) who have been sexually active say that they regret their decision and wish they had waited. Why do you suppose this is?*

Is it possible for a person to regret sexual activity even if there is no pregnancy or STD?*
- Yes
- No
Explain:*

Perhaps one of the most important lessons you will ever learn is that regardless of your past, you can still make good choices for your future. You are not destined to repeat your past. Most of your life is ahead of you and this is your opportunity to make a fresh start for your future.