What do you find more important? —Being happy and at peace in life or, always being right? When it comes to those disagreements, we all have our thoughts and opinions on the matter at hand. Due to our perceptions, we have our views on who was right and who was wrong during the disagreement. I’m sure you can even find ways to justify your feelings and thoughts. I know I have! We end up wanting to punish others for what they did to us in the past, yet really we are the ones punishing ourselves. We are the ones who keep endlessly running through the story over and over again in our minds and continue to play the “blame game.” In the present moment, we are the ones punishing ourselves. This is silly if you ask me because we end up choosing to allow ourselves to keep reliving the past of a person hurting us.

How do you release this you ask? Well, even if you are not sure how, start with wanting to be willing to forgive. This will release the past. As you forgive, you give up the negative and hurtful feelings and let the whole situation of the past go. That’s forgiveness. However, if you are in a state of non-forgiveness, you will end up destroying parts of yourself.

If you continue to think of unforgiving thoughts about a situation of the past, how will you be able to free yourself of the bitterness? You can’t. You will not be able to be happy in this very moment if you continue to choose to be angry and resentful towards another. It’s not possible. Thoughts of bitterness do not create joy. If you insist on holding onto the past, then you will never be able to free yourself—no matter how justified you feel and no matter what that person did. The only way to free yourself from the past will be by forgiving yourself and others.

More work on forgiveness needs to be fulfilled, if you are feeling like your affirmations are not working or feeling like you are in a standstill in your situation. You will know if you are holding on to a past situation because you will not be easily flowing with life in the present moment of NOW. You may be feeling regret, hurt, fear, guilt, anger, blame, resentment, sadness and possibly even vengeance. It is during those feeling states that you are still stuck in a place of non-forgiveness. This is you not allowing yourself to be in the present moment and refusing to let go. It is only when you are in the present moment that you will be able to create your future.

It is in the NOW moment that your thoughts and words are powerful. So if you are holding on to the past, you will not living in the present moment, NOW. Do you want to waste your current thoughts on creating a future full of pain and hurt since you continue to hang on to the negative thoughts of your past?

As you place responsibility for your feelings on someone else by blaming, you end up giving your own power away. Yes, it is true that people may behave in ways that make us feel an uncomfortable response in your life. Nevertheless, they did not get control over your mind and thoughts to push those buttons that you created to feel or experience a negative reaction. As a human, we are responsible for owning up to our feelings, reactions, and behaviors. This is part of our human experience—master your ability to respond and react to people and situations. Consciously, you will learn to choose rather than simply react to a situation and/or person.

The concept of forgiveness is very confusing and tricky for many of us, but remember there is a difference between forgiveness and acceptance. When you forgive someone, you are not disregarding or approving of their behaviors and choices. Forgiveness is the act that takes place within your own mind and does not have anything to do with the other person. You are setting yourself free from the pain and suffering, which is the true reality of forgiveness. Put simply—you are choosing to release yourself from holding on to the negative energy from your past.

Forgiveness is not about permitting the painful behaviors or actions from others to continue to happen in your life. It sometimes just means that you are letting go. You forgive that person, release them, and move forward in your life. As you forgive, you are taking a stand by identifying and maintaining healthy boundaries with others. This is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself as well as for the other person.

Go beyond those feelings of bitterness and non-forgiveness despite what your reasons are for holding onto them. It is only your choice. You decide—Do you want to choose to stay stuck and feel resentful towards another or a situation? Or, would you rather do yourself a favor by forgiving your past, letting it go, and moving into a reality that creates a joyous, peaceful and fulfilling life as you deserve? It’s up to you. YOU have the freedom to create the life you want because you hold the power of choice.

1. I move through forgiveness and fill myself with unconditional love.
2. I release the past because it is over and it no longer has power over my present moment.
3. I free myself from the past and I move into joy and love as I enter into the NOW.
4. I am healed and am willing to forgive myself.
5. I have compassion for all as I move into forgiveness and understanding.
6. I love life and life loves me!
7. I AM safe and release all my past childhood traumas as I move into unconditional love.
8. I AM forgiveness and I live in the NOW.
9. I let go of control and bring forth love, joy, and gratitude.
10. I love and approve of myself!