Forgiveness is a beautiful gift that you give to yourself. When we forgive other people- we are ultimately freeing ourselves. Holding onto grudges or resentment only keeps negative energy swirling around you. Take a few minutes to make a forgiveness list-include anyone that you need to forgive and you might need to add yourself to the list, too. After all, we all tend to be very hard on ourselves.

Forgiving is more than just saying the words “I forgive”- you want to truly feel the release. It helps me to create a visualization. I see the person standing in a room full of flowers- with a huge bouquet of roses in his or her arms- tears are streaming down and the person says- “I am so sorry-can you find it in your heart to forgive me”.

Of course I melt and immediately feel the forgiveness. (Keep in mind that forgiveness does not center on whether someone deserves to be forgiven or not- you are forgiving for your own mental, physical, and spiritual health). You might want to use this visualization or create your own. It also helps to imagine the person as a small child. As you regularly practice forgiveness- you will likely feel more focused and more energetic as you work on your goals.