Have you ever experienced the amazing effect of power and healing that comes with forgiveness?
Your heart softens, your body relaxes and your spirit lifts. Forgiveness propels you from a place of stress, anxiety and anger toward ease, peace of mind and physical well being. It makes you more compassionate, optimistic and self-confident. I also believe that it heals your soul.
Keeping anger and resentment alive creates a viscous cycle of negative thoughts that keep you entrapped in the past.
Being able to forgive requires greatness and humility. It means to accept others for their mistakes and to let go of the urge to hurt back.
This can be a tall order.
We all make mistakes. Nobody is perfect. By forgiving others you’ll ultimately forgive yourself.
Brian Tracy wrote a wonderful article, “4 People You MUST Forgive”. He states that the four people you have to forgive are your parents, your close personal relationships, everyone who has ever hurt you and finally, yourself. Forgiveness only goes so far if you can’t forgive yourself.
How do you forgive? Here is a simple practice I’d love you to try:
Check in with yourself and make a mental note of all the people in your life you are holding a grudge against. Who are you angry with? Who has hurt you or caused you pain?
One way to recognize this is by the way your heart tightens when you think of them. Be aware that this may also involve yourself. Are you hard on yourself for something you have done in the past?
Once you know who you need to forgive, take responsibility and let them go. Say the words, “I forgive you for __________________ and I wish you well.”
Keep your ‘forgiveness prayer’ short and simple – or take a piece of paper and write it down in detail. Sometimes it feels good to get all that stuff off your chest. Just make sure to burn the paper and to let it go after you are done.
You may have to repeat this process a few times until you feel no resentment left towards the person(s) in question.
With practice, you’ll notice that forgiving and letting go will come easier and more immediate over time. You won’t have to hold on to anger or hurt feelings anymore and you’ll understand that being upset is a choice you don’t have to make.
I would love to hear your thoughts or questions and find out if this resonates with you.
As always, thank you for reading,
Karin
Also:
An Exercise in Forgiveness on Positively Positive
Related article: The Secret Ingredient for an Amazing Life
More about the topic at The International Forgiveness Institute
***
Photo Source: Claudio Jule via Stock.xchng
The first Tuesday of each month Karin hosts a free Coaching Call to help you find your gifts & talents!
Sign-up for Karin's free newsletter and get the latest directly 'to your door step'.
"I need to start with this: Karin is awesome! From the first time we spoke I knew I wanted to work with her because of her incredibly intuitive gift as a coach and teacher. She nailed it every time I had fears or insecurities and I left every session feeling empowered, encouraged and excited. From the heart to the point, I hope to be able to be near as good of a coach as Karin. I couldn't have asked for a better mentor and I'm very proud to be a graduate of Karin's Coaching Academy."
"I feel so fortunate that I discovered Karin Lehmann International! Before I began working with Karin, I felt scattered, frustrated and couldn't seem to find a direction to focus my true passions and create something I can be proud of and enjoy. Her insight, wisdom and creative inspiration helped me find that clear direction. I couldn't be more pleased with what we created during our coaching sessions and I look forward to working with Karin again." 
“Karin is a careful listener for your deepest needs and desires. I have worked with her several times over the last ten years and I always experience profound insights to help me with the next level of my own work. With her calm strength and compassion, Karin creates a space for me to see beyond my own fears and worries. Thanks to her loving attention and support I am able to make important decisions from my heart. I love my coaching experiences with Karin and highly recommend her to anyone who is in search for what’s next!” 
„Karin has the gift of seeing the best in every person. Within my first session she assisted me to understand myself better; she helped me to find out what I really want and what my special talents are. Going on a ‘treasure hunt’ with Karin has been so much fun and I will always be grateful to her for uncovering my life path with such ease. Thanks to Karin I am so much happier today! -Franziska Fischer, Berlin
"Karin Lehmann has a unique ability of identifying one's special gifts & talents. She has coached me to show me my expertise and has encouraged me to bring forth my talents and let go of the fear of using them as my career.
Karin is very insightful into the human drama that takes place everyday. She has helped me to identify the things in my every day life that have stopped me from living my dream. I highly recommend her!" 
"Wow! Karin is amazing. Within two short weeks, I booked a commercial, got a call back for another one, and I am having so much fun. I'm starting to live my life as if every day were the weekend! I feel so fortunate to have had Karin come into my life. She helps transform you in a very gentle, organic way that just feels RIGHT. Yay!" 
“My work with Karin has changed my life! In my daily interactions with clients, friends and significant others, her brilliance rings in my ears. She taught me to relax and let joy be the barometer for my life. Her wisdom, clarity and honest perception of the moment is remarkable." 
“In one session with Karin I was able to really get to what lights me up. Being a life-coach myself I was amazed at how I had missed the obvious that Karin so easily picked up on. She was able to quickly get a true sense of me and what really matters in my life. I am now spending more time and energy on just that. Karin shifted my attention from what I should be doing to what I really am passionate about, and everything is flowing easily now." 
“Coaching with Karin put the fun back into my life. She "tuned in" immediately to my needs and created a space without any pressure so that I could clearly see my next step. Energy for my life and career has returned. Thank you, Karin!" 
“Karin encouraged me to keep looking in my heart for what I wanted in my life and not to settle for anything less than what makes me absolutely happy and fulfilled. Out of that I was able to build a strong and powerful relationship, start my own business and bring the fun back into my life!" -Dana Minney, Austin