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Happiness
Experiments
Choosing to offer forgiveness to someone or not
is your decision. If you should determine to break
free from the pain that someone has caused you, to
re-write history, or to make a shift in your thinking
then you need to develop your forgiveness muscles.
Noted below are some ways that you could do that.
Read the stories of others who have forgiven
Read a bestselling book that details the story of
someone journeying to offer forgiveness to someone
who caused them harm. If there is no book that
grabs your attention then see what films are
currently showing at the cinema.
Imagine forgiveness
Spend some time mulling over what it would be
like to forgive the person who did you wrong.
Explore your negative feelings, consider the pain
they caused, try and understand why they acted as
they did, and mull over what steps you need to take
to offer forgiveness.
Seek forgiveness of others
Is there anyone that you need forgiveness from?
If appropriate, consider taking the time to either
write them a letter or go to see them; let them
know what you did and ask for their forgiveness.
Talking to those who have expressed forgiveness
Spend some time with someone who has expressed
forgiveness to a person who has hurt them. Listen
to them as they express their pain and journey to
offering forgiveness.
Write a letter of forgiveness
Take time to write a letter to the person who
wronged you. Express your pain and the
consequences of their actions. Then, express your
forgiveness. There is no need to send the letter.
Appreciate being forgiven
No one is perfect, so in all probability there will be
someone in your past that you have intentionally
hurt. Imagine how they must have felt by your
actions and the shock you caused by hurting them.
Hopefully they would have decided to forgive you.
If so, consider the journey they must have travelled
on to the place of reconciliation.
Watch an inspiring film
about forgiveness.