Excerpts from “Forgiveness – The Greatest Healer of All” by Gerald Jampolsky
Forgiving can be a most important process not only for a person who is dying, but for the people who are left behind.
Have a willingness to be open-minded as you review these principles. Remind yourself that it is all right to disagree with or reject any of these thoughts. Forgiveness is a choice, and you do not have to forgive or believe in forgiveness. But do your best to look at the consequences of your choice to forgive or not forgive, letting your heart help you decide.
- Be open to the possibility of changing your beliefs about forgiveness.
- Find no value in self-pity.
- Find no value in finding fault with others and yourself.
- Choose to be happy rather than “right.”
- Be willing to let go of being a victim.
- Make peace of mind your most important goal.
- Believe that holding on to grievances and unforgiving thoughts is a way for you to suffer.
- Recognize that any emotional pain you feel at this moment is caused only by your own thoughts.
- Believe that you have the power to choose the thoughts you put in your mind.
- Believe that holding on to anger does not bring you what you really want.
- Believe you deserve to be happy.
- Rather than seeing people as attacking you, see them as fearful and giving you a call of help for love.
- Seek the value of giving up all your judgments.
- Believe that love is the most powerful healing force in the world.
- Believe that everyone you meet is a teacher of patience.
- Believe that forgiveness is the key to happiness.
- Let go of seeing any value in hurting or punishing the other person or yourself. Remember that the purpose of forgiveness is not to change the other person but to change the conflicting, negative thoughts in your mind.