Day Four... Learn to Forgive

We all have made mistakes in the past and done things that we regret. Sometimes we are the cause of our own struggles and pain, and the pain of people who are around us. Other times, people that we love and care about or that we have opened our lives and hearts to are at fault. And it can be incredibly difficult to forgive someone when all you do is think about how you've been wronged. 

Personally, as I tried to grow and develop, it seemed like I couldn't get past certain stages in my life because the weights of my past held me back. I was bitter, moody and angry, not to mention sad, lonely and unhappy. On my path to Diva-ism and living a happy and fulfilling life, I had an epiphany. 

Anyone that knows me knows I used to hold onto grudges like the my life depended on them. The truth of the matter, however, is that the quality of my life really did depend on how willing I was to forgive others. You see, all of the feelings I once felt were a result of my being unwilling to forgive the transgressions of those who had wronged me in the past. A lot of time I would hold on to the pain, and the people that have wronged me had already moved on with their lives. I was the only ones holding on to the painful memories. 

Forgiveness is one of the keys to living a happy, stress-free life. When we spend valuable time and are busy putting our energy into staying angry and holding on to hurtful memories, we almost make it impossible to enjoy the many blessings we have all around us. And we don't just take our current situation for granted, but we block future blessings that can be headed our way too. It doesn't mean you have to forget things that happened or pretend like they never did. Chances are if the wounds are deep enough, you might never forget them. 

But forgiveness is the solution. The key is to learn from whatever occurred and move on with your life, instead of allowing negative thoughts and animosity to linger so that you keep reliving the incident over and over again. And forgiving someone doesn't make you weak. It empowers you! You're not telling the person that whatever they did is OK. You're letting them know that, although what they did to you hurt, you're taking back the control in your life and refusing to allow them to rob you of your happiness forever.

So, who can you forgive today? Is it a parent? Is it a sibling or relative? Is it a friend? Or... is it yourself??? Whoever it is that you need to forgive, do it now! Don't keep living with animosity in your heart because, in the long run, you end up hurting yourself more than the transgressor. And we all know that to love yourself is the Diva way!