Forgiveness as a Gift

Forgiveness can be one of the kindest gifts you can ever give yourself. That statement may sound strange to some, however for others it will make perfect sense. You see, even when we forgive others, the act of forgiveness is really for us, not the person we are forgiving. The act of forgiveness is “letting go” and self-healing. Some of us are in fact willing to forgive, just not ourselves.

Here are three ways you can begin the process of forgiving yourself:

Remember we are all human

All of us, and I mean all of us, have made mistakes. Any mistakes we make, no matter how catastrophic they may seem, have been made by an enumerable amount of people before us. Know that you are not alone.

Have Self-Compassion

Speak to yourself with kindness and understanding. It is not about letting yourself off the hook, it is about encouraging yourself to move forward ever so slowly and gently. Give yourself some space to do an autopsy on what you deem to be a flaw, and you just may find that what you thought was a weakness may actually be a strength. Learn to capitalize on it so you can grow and facilitate letting things go.

Discover the Lesson

Every experience we have had, whether it be good or bad, contains information to help us get better. The only time mistakes are real failures is when we did not learn anything from the mistake and we continue to make them over and over again. Face your mistake with a sense of curiosity and ask “why did I say that” or “why did I do that?” What can I do differently next time?” Then, try it again.

Let us all remember to forgive ourselves first, shall we?