42. Forgiveness

Living with resentment, even if it’s in the basement of your mind rather than the living room, can be very draining to our batteries and can make for a very difficult way to live. I should know, because one of the things that drew me to Thought Work was how it helped me look at my resentment in a new way. 

Our brains are, by nature, repetitive, which is one of the reasons why it can be so easy to get stuck on a negative feeling such as resentment. Remember, though, that feelings are caused by thoughts. We have thoughts about what the person we are feeling resentment toward did, and those thoughts cause us pain. Thought Work can help you to identify what thoughts are creating the feeling of resentment. 

Some of us struggle not just with forgiving others but also forgiving ourselves, and I encourage you to consider that doing something you assess as bad doesn’t mean that you are a bad person. Changing what we’re thinking about something can be very difficult, and it can even seem impossible. It’s worth it, though, because that resentment is only hurting you and is unnecessary suffering. Pain is inevitable, but it draining our life energy is not.

Show Highlights

• how the topic of forgiveness is very personal to me

• how Thought Work can help look at forgiveness in a new way 

• new ideas and thoughts to think on purpose that create a foundation of forgiving more easily

Resources

Sheila’s Website
Email me: sheila@sheilatully.com