Please do not confuse feeling guilty with genuine remorse – there are some things that are just bad – particularly where others are deliberately targeted or attacked and in such situations those people have every right to feel guilty and can never atone unless they are truly sorry.

Thankfully, most of us are not naturally bad people, but still suffer from serious feelings of guilt which can be mentally debilitating – and here’s the really sad thing – in most cases it is totally unnecessary and can be beaten – so let show you how.

Feelings of guilt are probably one of the most pointless emotions that we humans have ever created, because it is impossible to change the past and while you keep dwelling on what might have been – you can never move forward – and you can never have real positivity.

If you are truly to practice Powerful Positive Thinking then you most rid yourself of all feelings of guilt. Yes, there may be people around you who might want someone to blame and it may suit them and you to be a convenient scapegoat, but sooner or later something will have to give if you are to return to the light.

Until then all positivity is supressed as you wallow in feelings of self-pity – sorry to put it so strongly but sometimes harsh words are needed to get attention. Your loved ones are not blaming you from the grave because you were not around at the time they passed over – they understood that you were always there for them and always did your best.

This applies to anything else you might feel guilty about. Everyone else has long moved on from any perceived situation where you felt you had failed or let people down. We are all human and sometimes we will get things wrong and others will get hurt but you cannot put your life on hold going over and over what might have been.

Yes, there might still be people who are still angry with you, they might feel bitter because their lives have changed for the worse and they feel that you are to blame. That requires forgiveness on their part so they can also move forward, but it is your life we are talking about here – and not there’s.

If this sounds selfish then it’s because you cannot be there for the people that still matter in your life if you are still locked in the past. There are people that need you to be strong and who want to see you smile – so are you ready to a marker in the sand and start again?

Firstly, let’s take a look at whatever is causing these feelings of guilt. Write them down in as much detail as you can, don’t hold back because this is your way of confronting this negativity and seeing it for what it really is.

Something triggered these feelings and while it may have been a natural reaction at the time, things have now moved on. Are you still clinging on to these emotions because you want to punish yourself? Are you really sure that the incident concerned is now still relevant and do people really care?

By writing all this down you will see your feelings of guilt through a fresh pair of eyes – and yes, while there may still be a huge amount of regret and sadness, you now have the opportunity to confront it and put it into perspective.

See it for what it is and then start to be kind to yourself, write down that you’re sorry if your actions upset or injured anyone. If you must, then check if there is any solution available to correct what you think you have done – and if the answer is no then you must now move on.

Return to the writing pad and use the power of positive thinking to specify where you want to go from here. Write down the kind of life you want, use plenty of common sense with this and then finally describe what action you are going to take to make this happen.

Your new life starts here and your first action is to destroy that piece of paper – it is your way of sending your order to the Universe. Now forget all about it and concentrate on the action and let the Universe weave its magic.

You have shouldered these feelings of guilt for too long so let the Universe take the strain from here.