3 Ways to Forgive, Even When It’s Hard

To err is human. To ask for forgiveness is human too. I often ask for forgiveness for my actions, those that were intentional and unintentional. Life is too short to pretend that we are all faultless individuals. At some point, you have to forgive. At some point, somebody will forgive you too.

If you’re having trouble forgiving someone, consider these three tips:

Just do it, already.

When you wake up ask yourself, whom can I forgive today? If your instant reply from the heart is, “I have no one to forgive,” then there is still some work that needs to be done.

Leave out the judgment.

More often than not, we decide that somebody is incredibly guilty before we decide to “forgive” them. This is judging, and then forgiving. A seeker doesn’t do it this way. Forgiveness means that you simply accept the person as he or she is. Forgiveness is pure, unconditional acceptance.

Ask for it in return.

Fault is sometimes a two-way street. Stop thinking that forgiveness is some sacred thing that you should rarely give out. Instead, consider if you should also be asking for forgiveness in return. This can be hard on the ego, but that’s how the chain of ego will eventually be broken.