FORGIVENESS

In my last blog I mentioned a favorite quote of mine by Catherine Ponder about resentment and forgiveness. Today I will briefly cover a few points about forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not about letting the "offender" off the hook. By forgiving we let go of that emotional bond that is stronger than steel in order to free ourselves up from the past with its negative emotions and related stress. By forgiving we free ourselves up in order to move forward and create new positive experiences and emotions.

Forgiving does not necessarily mean forgetting. There are some things that really can't be totally forgotten. Indeed it may be helpful to examine the past and remember the lessons we can learn from it. This also helps us to move forward. We can learn from the past rather than dwell in it.

We often think of forgiveness in terms of others. It is also important to forgive oneself in order to move forward. By forgiving yourself you can release the guilt, shame and blame that you or others put on you. We are often harder on ourselves than we are on others. I like to point out that we are the only person we have to live with our whole life and thus we should treat ourselves as we would treat our best friend. Become your own best friend and do it TODAY!

Next week I will present some techniques to use in order to forgive. Be sure to check back and remember to submit any comments or questions.