Practice Forgiveness

Forgiveness may not be your usual reaction when you make a mistake. How often are you your own worst critic - judging yourself unreasonably and beating yourself up when things go wrong? 

When you make a mistake, learn from it,

 forgive yourself, and move on.

Forgiving others is difficult, especially if they are the cause of a great hurt in your life. Yet not forgiving costs you so much when living with anger, blame, resentment and other negative feelings. They rob you of joy and peace of mind.

Forgiveness is defined as "ceasing to resent".

Forgiveness is an act of will. You can choose to forgive even if you don't feel like it. The act of forgiveness is the first step. The feeling may come later but by then it's less important as you have already moved on with your life.

If someone hurts you or takes advantage of you, do what you need to do to handle the situation, and take the necessary action to prevent it happening again. Then, forgive them and move on.

Self-Care Exercise

“Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head” - Anne Landers

Forgiving yourself or another person for a past misdeed does not imply that you have forgotten what happened.  It simply means you have chosen to move forward with your life and live free of resentment, quilt or angst.

Forgiveness frees us to live our lives, pursue our dreams, look forward with joy to the future, and enjoy every moment of the present!

It's easier to forgive others when you practice forgiving yourself.

As you reflect on your life, what could you forgive yourself for?

When you have clarity on something that could be forgiven, say to yourself:

I forgive myself for ________________     Then let it go.

Is there someone you need to forgive? Say to yourself:

I choose to forgive ______________(name) and I forgive him/her for __________    Then let it go.

Notice the positive change in your feelings and emotions and outlook as you adopt forgiveness.

     Remember, forgiveness is a gift to yourself.