Many are the times when I have seethed in anger at a word or deed thrown into my life by an unthinking or uncaring person. I have wasted valuable hours imagining revenge or confrontation…I will now and forevermore silently offer my forgiveness even to those who do not see that they need it. By the act of forgiving, I am no longer consumed by unproductive thoughts. I give up my bitterness. I am content in my soul and effective again with my fellow man.
I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. I will forgive those who criticize me unjustly.
Knowing that slavery in any form is wrong, I also know that the person who lives a life according to the opinions of others is a slave. I am not a slave. I have chosen my counsel…I now know that criticism is part of the price paid for leaping past mediocrity.
I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. I will forgive myself.
For many years, my greatest enemy has been myself. Every mistake, every miscalculation, every stumble I made has been replayed again and again in my mind. Every broken promise every day wasted, every goal not reached has compounded the disgust I feel for the lack of achievement in my life…
I realized today that it is impossible to fight an enemy living in my head. By forgiving myself, I erase the doubts, fears, and frustration that have kept my past in the present. From this day forward, my history will cease to control my destiny. I have forgiven myself. My life has just begun.
~Andy Andrews
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