Today I want to talk to you about something that you may find pretty challenging. To be blunt, it’s going to mean you might need to get over yourself a little bit.
Lately I’ve been listening to the audio version of Denise Duffield-Thomas‘s Get Rich Lucky Bitch, which I’m finding very excellent (but more about that another day).
In her book, Denise talks a lot about the importance of clearing out old things that might be blocking you from receiving money, and she shared this quote that made me stop in the street:
It’s one of those things that seems so obvious but only once it’s pointed out to you.
Who do you need to forgive?
Think about someone that you feel has wronged you — someone who lied to you, betrayed you or hurt you deeply.
Now (and this might be a bit more difficult) how long have you been hanging on to that hurt? Do you stew on it? Do you trot out the story when you’re with friends, detailing how you were wronged?
Do you use your experience as a reason to protect yourself from new friends, new dates, or new experiences?
Why forgiveness is important
But forgiving that person is a gift you give yourself because, once you do, you are releasing yourself from feeling awful. You no longer have to carry all those negative feelings around with you. You are freed from them and you will feel lighter and less anxious.
What forgiveness isn’t
::: It isn’t making excuses for how that person behaved.
::: It isn’t pretending you weren’t hurt, upset, angry, and that those feelings aren’t valid or important.
::: It isn’t pretending those events didn’t happen.
::: It isn’t condoning or agreeing with the way you were treated. What that other person did to you was still wrong.
Forgiveness is standing up and saying I don’t like/understand/agree with what you did but I am no longer going to carry around those negative feelings. I will not allow this to continue to make me feel bad. I am no longer wasting my energy wishing for a different outcome. I am looking forward.
Forgiveness is a simple choice, but I know it’s not always an easy one.
Very true and so many times before forgiving someone or myself had profound effect in my life. Can see this directly links to a post on positivity 😉
Glad to hear it Charles 🙂
A line from my favourite piece hit me like a tonne of bricks, stop-in-the-street style about 10 years ago. It has a very similar theme: ” I want to know…
…if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.”
If you’re living your life worrying about being hurt in the same way you have before, you’re not living your life.
SO true! Thanks for sharing 🙂