Since the beginning of the year, I have had many conversations in my personal and professional life about what forgiveness is, why we should forgive, who we should forgive and how do we forgive.
What is forgiveness?
Forgiveness is the letting go of the hope of having a better past. Often, we think that when we forgive, we are agreeing that what has happened is okay which could not be the furthest from the truth. We are granting ourselves freedom from what has happened and the person who did it so that we can step into the current moment firmly and without reservation.
Why should we forgive?
We should forgive because we deserve to be healthy and well. When we hold onto the feelings that prevent us from forgiving, we end up holding ourselves back from being able to experience true joy.
Who should we forgive?
We should forgive everyone who has harmed us to include ourselves whether the person has apologized, done anything to “earn it,” or has changed in anyway.
How do we forgive?
We forgive by truly letting go. Each person lets go differently so I cannot suggest a way that may be “right for everyone.” What I can do is help you develop a forgiveness strategy that works best for you. The process of forgiveness parallels grief and I will use that to anchor our discussion about how to forgive.
Stay tuned! I will discuss more about how to forgive by sharing more about how forgiveness parallels the grief process and what you can do to cultivate in within yourself.