Embracing the Power of Forgiveness in Life and Radio: A Personal Journey"

Perhaps the best thing about getting older is that it gives you time to contemplate. For some of us, the trials and injustices of life just make us more bitter and jaded. People like this reject altruism when they see it, thinking it's just another person out to screw them over.

I can understand the cynicism.

It can also make the people you’ve known over the years cynical about you. Once you’ve shown yourself to hold grudges and be petty, whatever your motivation or justification, it can be hard for people to see you any other way. As the old commercial copy said: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

As anyone in radio broadcasting can attest, this business is not always known for being fair or equitable. People get fired for selfish reasons. Egos get involved. Sometimes, your whole life gets turned upside down because you’re in the wrong column on a spreadsheet. Sometimes, someone clearly less qualified gets the job you always wanted for reasons no one can explain.

The fact that these injustices happen is bad enough. Letting these things make you less genuine and less giving only further amplifies the wrong. It gives those who have injured you a power they don’t deserve. In addition, it makes you less inclined to ask yourself the hard questions.

Questioning ourselves helps to strengthen us. What could I have done better or differently? How will I better handle a situation like this in the future?

When I consider all the baggage and resentment I’ve carried around, I am saddened by how much time I wasted. I tried and convicted many people in my mind. I have harbored grudges and anger for things that happened in my career years before. In many cases, I’ve blamed others for my own bad choices.

Enough is enough. The energy required to keep these feelings alive is crippling. I’m setting this free. I wish to learn the lessons I’ve avoided by blaming others and become a better me.

Not only am I forgiving others completely, but I am also forgiving myself. I’ve made mistakes. Some of those are directly responsible for where I am now. I am taking responsibility. I’m going to use the energy I spent holding grievances and animosity to be positive.

To anyone out there reading this, especially those most recently downsized in radio, who feels weighed down by bitterness and resentment, let this be your sign to let it go. Forgiveness is the first step toward unlocking a future where you are no longer defined by the past. Too bad there’s not a place for that on your resume.

I can’t be sure of what’s next in my career or my life. Every time I find myself metaphorically on the beach, given how our industry has evolved, I think this time might be final. While the future is uncertain, my resolve to face it with an open heart is not. By forgiving, I am not just preparing to face whatever comes next—I’m actively shaping it with hope instead of fear.