If you took a poll, and asked people what their favorite things about the holidays are, you’d likely get a wide range of answers.
Some of the most common would be things like holiday cheer, Christmas music, eggnog (preferably mixed with a little rum… can I get an Amen?), opening presents, etc.
But what about forgiveness?
You ever heard someone say, “Man, I am so jacked up for the holidays so I can forgive and let go of all the garbage that’s been weighing me down this year!”?
I know I’ve never heard of or seen someone put that one their Christmas list, but I definitely think more people should.
For you, a beautifully wrapped dose of forgiveness may be the perfect UNCOMMON gift to give yourself this holiday season.
What to forgive
If we’re being completely honest, life can be a real bitch sometimes, and can kick us right in the teeth. And when that happens, either we, or others, don’t always respond in the best way.
I’m sure you wouldn’t have to think long to find a moment from this past year that you acted in a way you weren’t proud of.
And, we also know that life it hard. So while we have the greatest intentions on being a good person, maybe there were times throughout this year that you let people you care about down.
Or, maybe the person you let down this year was you! You had goals of kicking names and taking ass this year, but never quite got out of the starting blocks and had an excuse for everything.
No matter what the issue was, how big or small, or who it affected, chances are, you’ve got more than enough things from this past year that have weighed you down.
Well…. Now it’s time to let them go!
But what if I can’t forgive?
Ahhh…. The old “C” word – CAN’T! Every coach’s favorite word (this is one of those hold my beer and watch me work kind of moments in the mind of a coach).
I hear this all the time from clients, family, friends, and total strangers, and my response is always the same, you can, you’re just choosing not to.
You are WAY more powerful than you could ever even imagine, so spare me the “can’t” stuff, and own up to the fact that forgiving is uncomfortable, it’s hard, and depending on who did what, you just flat out don’t want to.
It doesn’t matter if you need to forgive someone else who’s wronged you, or if you need to forgive yourself, you ALWAYS have the power of choice of whether to do it or not.
And, no, forgiving does NOT mean forgetting! Anyone who tells you it does, doesn’t know what the hell they’re talking about.
Just because you forgive a wrongdoing, doesn’t mean you forget about it and act like it never happened. Forgiveness just means that you are refusing to let the negative emotions of the wrongdoing hold you captive anymore.
Because the reality is, forgiveness is for YOU! There’s a great quote by Lewis B. Smedes that says, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” There is so much truth in those words.
When you hold onto things from the past, the only person it’s hurting is you.
Just remember this, you can’t create a great future if you’re dragging your past into it. You have to learn to let go of things in order to move forward.
Forgiveness as YOUR gift
So whether it’s your scumbag ex who betrayed you, your mom who won’t stay out of your business, or yourself for giving up on your goals, YOU hold the power to forgive.
Give yourself the amazing gift of freedom this year through forgiveness, so that you can move on and focus on creating the UNCOMMON Life you desire to live.
Be UNCOMMON!
