The Power of Forgiveness

We’re almost at the start of a new year. And for many of us, that means new beginnings.

Personally, I’m not one for radically overhauling my entire life every time the calendar ticks over into a new year. And I don’t suggest you do that, either. At Clients on Demand, we firmly believe that if you want to go after something, go after it. Don’t wait for an arbitrary date to take action.

That said, I do think the turning of a year is a good time to reflect on the previous 12 months, look at what’s gone well, what hasn’t, what you want to achieve going forward, and perhaps most importantly - forgive.

“But I Don’t Have Anyone I Need to Forgive!”

Unless you’ve spent 2022 defrauding customers, beating up strangers or being mean to your partner, you’re right, you probably don’t have any major faux pas you need to beg forgiveness for.?

But that doesn’t mean forgiveness isn’t a powerful tool in driving your business forward.?

Because there are people that you need to forgive.?

Again, that might seem like a weird thing to say. Because unless someone’s seriously wronged you, you’ve probably forgotten any slight misdemeanors against you. Believe me though, subconsciously, we hold on to a lot more anger and resentment than we consciously acknowledge.

And, whether you know it or not, those negative emotions can bring you down, and stop you from playing all-out.

So what I want you to do is think back through the past 12 months, and ask yourself - “Who do I need to forgive in order to feel totally free?”

Did you have a client who drained all your energy, and then asked for a refund anyway?

Did you hire a coach to help out, only for them to turn out to be lacking in energy and enthusiasm, and gave you even more work to do?

Or did a family member or friend say something negative about your business, or make a comment that you took to heart?

Whatever it is -- no matter how minor -- write it down, and forgive that person. I want you to actually say this forgiveness out loud. Do it a couple of times if you need to. And don’t just say it either … Believe it.?

Once you’ve done this, it’ll feel like a weight’s been lifted off your shoulders. Because all that pent-up frustration and anger will be gone.

You can go back further than 12 months too if you want. I wouldn’t try to go into as much detail for previous years, but if there are some bigger, more painful memories from the past 5, 10, or even 20 years that you need to forgive, then let yourself do that.

Don’t Forget Number One

The other person you need to forgive … Is you!

Most of us are way too hard on ourselves. And as a result, spend far too long ruminating on bad decisions, or beating ourselves up over mistakes we made.

So I want you to do the above exercise again, only this time, focus only on yourself.?

You don’t need to just do business ‘stuff’ either. Sure, you can forgive yourself for blowing those breakthrough calls, or saying ‘no’ to that speaking event out of fear, or neglecting family time so you could work on the business …

But also forgive yourself for anything else. Did you forget an anniversary? Have an argument with a friend that you were too stubborn to apologize for? Not ask that person out because you were worried they’d say no?

Whatever it is, write it down, and verbally forgive yourself.?

Where Focus Goes, Energy Flows.

The more experience I get as an entrepreneur, the more I realize just how powerful feelings are. Both for positive and for negative.

If you’re regularly practicing gratitude, showing up with the right energy, and framing challenges as opportunities, you’re going to make more money and help more people.

But if you’re not acknowledging your negative emotions, and not allowing yourself to feel these, that’s going to have the exact opposite effect.

Whether you feel it on a day-to-day basis or not, harboring resentment and anger towards others or yourself is only going to make business (and life) a whole lot tougher.

So do this forgiveness exercise before the year’s out, and I promise you, you’ll feel a whole lot stronger and lighter going into 2023.