Their Inner Critic eloquently condemns them for their mistakes, failures, and personal defects. If we listen to the nonstop criticism of our Inner Critic, we will be racked with guilt, shame, and inferiority, hardly the ingredients of a positive experience of life. Unrelenting self-judgment only burdens us with negative emotions that linger long after our lesson could have been learned. Self-forgiveness is not an excuse to repeat a mistake or an undesirable behavior. Rather, self-forgiveness releases me from the pain I am creating in the present and frees me to move into the future with greater understanding and compassion for myself.
Forgiveness is a sign of positive mental health.
Victims look backwards with judgment to a painful past they cannot change. Creators forgive so they can move forward to a positive future unburdened by resentment and negative judgments. In this activity, you'll have an opportunity to explore areas of your life where incompletions exist. You can then decide which, if any, you want to resolve. Each time you resolve an incompletion, you lay down a burden that you have been carrying.