Forgiveness is not something we often think about when we think about ourselves.  We may think about forgiving a friend or a spouse or a child for something they have said or done to upset us.  We do not, though, often think that we should forgive ourselves.

If you are like me, I set goals.  I try not to call them goals.  I think I feel that the word goal means that it is something that has to be achieved.  I hate missing the mark so I write down those things to which I aspire.  I usually do this on an annual basis so that each month I can then break these larger aspirations into smaller steps to achieve them.

The problem comes when I do not achieve my smaller steps/goals or my larger aspirations.  I get to feeling I am not accomplishing much.  I feel failure as I do not believe I set unrealistic expectations.  If I let this feeling take me over, I could wallow in it for a long time.

Just as I do with others, I need to forgive myself.  I need to let myself know that it is okay to not always reach the pinnacle that is set for me.  Holding onto that feeling of failure or that feeling of a grudge against someone else will just continue to drag me down.  I will spiral into a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure and hatred.

Forgiveness is not the same as forgetting.  By forgiving, you free yourself to move on in life.  You allow yourself to not be caught up in the cycle of hurt and pain and failure that will cause your life to be miserable.

Go out today and live your life by forgiving someone, by forgiving yourself and living a life free of resentment and failure.