Take a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Today's topic is forgiveness.
So forgiving others is something that we talk about often,
The difficulty and the importance of it.
But sometimes we forget that we also need to learn to forgive ourselves.
So many of us are walking around with guilt,
Shame,
Resentment,
Anger towards ourselves.
Usually for something that we did,
Maybe we hurt someone,
Maybe we hurt ourselves or a past behaviour that we've moved on from,
But we haven't quite allowed ourselves to forgive ourselves for having done that action or behaviour or habit in the past.
Sometimes we're not forgiving ourselves because we think another person in the situation hasn't forgiven us.
But what we need to understand is that until we forgive ourselves,
Even forgiveness from another party won't matter.
So take some time now to reflect on what you need to forgive yourself for.
Is it for something you did in the past to someone else?
Is it for something you allowed or you feel you allowed to happen to yourself?
Is it for a habit,
A behaviour,
Something that you perceive as negative that you find it difficult to overcome?
It's important to remember that we're all human,
We're all on the path of progress.
So there are going to be some things,
Some habits that will be difficult to overcome.
It's not a reason to berate yourself,
It's not a reason to feel shame.
The fact that you're even aware of something that you want to overcome is a sign of growth in the right direction.
The first step to being able to forgive ourselves for these things is awareness.
Once you are aware of what it is you need to forgive yourself for,
Take some time to reflect on how this thing has shown up in your life.
Whether it's a behaviour,
A one-off action,
A past relationship,
What impact has it had on your life?
And what impact has it had on the lives of others?
Now ask yourself why you want to move on from this situation or relationship or habit.
Why doesn't it serve you?
Why doesn't it serve others?
If this is something that you've already moved on from,
Reflect on the growth that you've made in that area,
On how you've become better,
How you've become more aware,
How you've managed to make a change.
And if it's something that you're still working on,
It's okay,
Remember this is a journey and be proud of yourself for making the commitment to overcome this thing.
So now you're aware of what it is you need to forgive yourself for.
You've reflected on how it has affected your life and the lives of those around you.
You've made a commitment to stick to this change and to do your best at it in the knowledge that sometimes you may quote unquote slip backwards but you're never really going backwards because each time you go back to the proverbial square one you're going back there with new knowledge,
New insights.
So now all that's left is to forgive yourself.
Forgive yourself for past transgressions.
Forgive yourself for future transgressions because you are human and they will inevitably come.
Choose now forgiveness.
Say it out loud if you can.
I choose to forgive myself.
I choose to forgive myself.
I choose to forgive myself.
And remember that until you forgive yourself,
Forgiveness from anyone else simply won't matter.
Take a deep breath in and exhale sigh out.
Again deep breath in,
Exhale sigh out and one final deep breath in and exhale sigh out.
