Forgiveness is a powerful word, but not for the reason that you may think. Forgiving someone for a real or perceived wrong is wonderful, and it is a good thing to do. However, that is not where the true power of forgiveness shows itself most. It’s in our hearts and souls that forgiveness really does wonderful things. When we forgive someone else, we release anger, hostility, and negative energy that is holding us back. The impact to yourself is quite tremendous. Or, perhaps it is you that needs forgiveness by you—this is quite common. Our mistakes of the past often haunt us for far too long, not allowing us to truly move on. We may not ever forget, but we must always be willing to forgive ourselves! We are human, and not perfect.
Today, I would like to challenge you to grant yourself the gift of forgiveness. Think of a situation that impacts you negatively in some way. Was it something you did to someone else, or yourself? Maybe it was something that someone did to you. Decide what it is, and start the forgiveness process. You can do this by:
- Acknowledge the situation that happened. These are your thoughts, and you can truthfully evaluate what happened to cause you such emotional turmoil.
- Create a forgiveness statement. Talk out loud to give maximum impact and say, “I forgive you for…” Use facts, not emotionally or negatively charged words. Do this looking in the mirror.
- Breathe in and repeat this statement a few times.
- Feel your body releasing pent up anger and resentment. You may not even realize you had this lingering within you, but you’ll love how it feel as it dissipates, and a happier you emerges.
When you forgive, you can keep it to yourself, and use it to heal yourself, but you can also let people who have apologized to you know that you have forgiven them, too. It’s your decision to make. The important thing is to be genuine, and appreciate the feeling that will come over you when you’ve forgiven from the heart.
The steps we can take to make life better start with forgiveness, many times. Visit www.LeadingTheSpirit.com to find out more information on how you can incorporate authentic forgiveness into your plans for a better you.