Many authors and speakers talk about the power of forgiveness. Forgiving others for the wrongs they have done to us is an important step for living our best life.

Some people do things, consciously or not, that lead to years of pain and turmoil in the lives of others. Forgiveness allows us to deal with a situation and move past it. Dwelling on past wrongs will only stop us from living in the present and preparing an abundant future for ourselves.

But what do you do when the person who has hurt you the most is someone you’ve never considered forgiving? What if that person is you?

Everyone makes mistakes. No one is perfect. When you do make a mistake it is perfectly fine to acknowledge it. But, please, don’t hold it against yourself for the rest of your life.

If the mistake you made has hurt someone in some way – apologize. Really apologize. Acknowledge the other person’s feelings, say you’re sorry, ask for their forgiveness. Then forgive yourself.

If the mistake you made has hurt only you – perhaps you hate your body, don’t think you’re good enough, etc. – apologize to yourself. Really apologize. Acknowledge you’ve been too hard on yourself, say you’re sorry, ask yourself for forgiveness. Then forgive yourself.

When you make mistakes, learn from them. Show your conviction to learning from your mistakes by not making the same one twice. Live consciously. Forgive yourself and do better the next time around.

Ask wisely, with love, for everything you want.

Action Step

In closing this week, I'd like to offer an exercise to complete in the week ahead:

Sometimes it’s harder to forgive ourselves than to forgive others who have wronged us. But it is just as important for inner peace and tranquility.

Take out a journal or notebook and ask yourself these questions:

• Do I use my inner dialogue to beat myself up mentally and spiritually?
• Do I not allow myself happiness because I believe, deep down inside, I don’t deserve to be happy?
• Am I holding myself back from relationships because I believe I’ll just screw them up – repeating patterns in the past?
• Am I settling for a career, relationship, etc. because I believe I’m not worthy of anything better?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions it is time to make a change. Acknowledge what you have done to yourself in the past. Forgive yourself. Write down a declaration that from this day forward you will make a conscious effort to treat yourself (and others) with dignity and respect, and love yourself unconditionally.

You deserve the best. Start treating yourself well today!