Part of designing a passionate life is to do your forgiveness work. You may be wondering what this has to do with living a passionate life. To me, living a passionate life includes freedom and until your forgiveness work is done, you are not free. Forgiveness is the conscious decision to be free of bitterness, fear, anger, resentment, and thoughts of revenge. It is a process and it takes time.
I heard a young woman interviewed on Oprah who was recently released from 18 years of prison for killing her father because he raped and abused her all of her life. She is now 36 years old. Oprah asked her if she forgave her father and her response was yes, and I've forgiven myself for taking his life. She also said that if you don't forgive you are living in a cage, whether or not you are surrounded by bars. Her case was an extreme one but it clearly points out the power of forgiveness. Because she has done her forgiveness work, she is able to be free emotionally, physically, and move forward. With her freedom, she has intends to help eliminate abuse and rape.
When you don't do your forgiveness work it means that you are still giving away your power to the person who hurt you and you are draining yourself of energy because you relive the event over and over again. We all have someone in our lives to forgive. It may not be for the extreme reasons of this young woman but it is still necessary. Forgiveness does not condon the actions of the other person nor your own if you are the one you want to forgive. Forgiveness work frees you from the anger, fear, or bitterness that you are holding onto when you don't forgive.
The first step to forgiveness is to decide to forgive. The power of this decision alone leads you on a path to change beliefs and actions that have caused you more pain. Forgiveness will take time and the path is unique to every person. Start the process by looking at the circumstances of the event as facts, your part in the event, how it has affected your life, and your peace of mind. How much more energy, time, and emotion do you want to give to the event?
To assist you in the forgiveness process you can use prayer, meditation, or journaling. You may want to talk to a trusted friend, family member, spiritual advisor, or therapist. The key is to move through the emotions you are feeling. You may also want to reflect on times when you have hurt others. You may even develop a sense of compassion for the other person. Try to see the event from the other person's point of view.
Examine your life and list the people in your life who you want to forgive. Decide which ones to forgive first. Start your journey to freedom and living passionately. Sign up for my free PDD report and learn about the benefits of living your passions.
