Who was the last person to hurt or offend you? It probably didn’t take long for you to remember. That’s a problem.
We live in a culture where we are flooded by messages that interrupt life. While you read this post it’s likely you’ll receive multiple emails, a text, updates on Twitter and Facebook, and maybe even a phone call. As a leader it’s likely some of these messages flooding your life will be negative or critical. It’s also easy for people to hide behind a keyboard and make statements about people that they would NEVER be brave enough to say face-to-face. I’ve noticed people are much bolder when writing an email, opining on a blog, or sharing a headline on Facebook. We have a culture of cowards where instead of face-to-face discourse many of our critics hide in their rooms behind a keyboard.
If you are doing anything meaningful in life you will have critics. Expect it. Don’t let it surprise you. However, you MUST learn to forgive them and move on. Regardless of if you need to defend yourself, which most of the time you don’t and are simply wasting your time, you need to quickly forgive them.
Forgiveness is about you, not them. Forgiveness releases the offense. Forgiveness isn’t about being nice to them or trusting them again, but it is necessary for you. Forgiveness allows you to move on. Forgiveness says “I will not let this person’s offense have power over me anymore.” Forgiveness keeps bitterness, anger, and hate from controlling your life. Forgiveness allows you to focus on what’s truly important in life. Forgiveness allows you to put your critics aside so you can get up tomorrow and aggressively pursue that next client, take that risk, or be the leader your teams needs.
Don’t wait until you feel like forgiving. Make the choice to do it now. Who do you need to forgive?
Question: What makes forgiving others difficult for you? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.