A Fresh Start to The New Year- Try Forgiveness

 The New Year is here and an opportunity for a fresh start has presented itself!  A fresh start does not necessarily mean completely stopping your old activities and starting new ones.  It can also mean forgiving yourself and approaching life with a new perspective.

A fresh perspective feels light and gives you joy.  It allows you to let go of fear and move through your life unencumbered.  You feel worthy of your true purpose in life and powerful enough to conquer life's challenges.  The start of a New Year creates a positive atmosphere for forgiveness.  Here are some Empowering thoughts on forgiveness.

1. Punishing yourself for past mistakes is counter productive.  Punishment is a form of restraint.  It helps control destructive people from themselves and/or others.  Acknowledging your error and doing something different is enough.  If you are unable to change a certain pattern get help to move forward.  Punishment allows you to stay stuck.
2. Forgiveness is a gift from God.  God gave humanity a way to unload heavy burdens.  Wallowing in self pity is a negative way to get sympathy.  It is true that support helps to heal open emotional wounds, but rallying the proper support is more beneficial.
3. Life causes enough pain, you do not have to create your own.  Life's events can cause a sting that sometimes lasts for years.  To punish yourself for mistakes can make life unbearable from additional unnecessary burdens. 

Let's start 2011 Empowered by self-forgiveness!
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