Don’t let the darkness from your past block the light of joy in your present.

Karen Salmansohn is an American author, designer, and motivational writer known for blending self-help psychology with accessible, visually engaging wisdom. Through books like How to Be Happy, Dammit and Instant Happy Journal, she encourages readers to reframe pain as a catalyst for personal growth rather than a permanent identity.

In this quote, Salmansohn captures a simple but transformative truth: the past only continues to harm us when we grant it space in the present. The “darkness” she speaks of isn’t just regret or loss — it’s the habit of rehearsing pain until it dims our capacity for joy. Letting in light doesn’t mean forgetting what hurt us; it means refusing to let it define the terms of today.

When journaling, think about what you continue to carry from your past — a disappointment, a failure, a betrayal. How has it shaped the way you see yourself now? And how might releasing it open more room for gratitude or wonder? Healing begins not in erasing history, but in reclaiming your right to joy despite it.