Let your New Year begin with Forgiveness

The nicest part about going into the New Years is that you are allowed another chance to start fresh. This is why, symbolically, the New Year is represented by a newborn. As you rang in 2014, were your mind and heart in the right place? If you are still carrying heavy emotional baggage and negative energy with you now, it will follow you throughout this New Year. Don't do this to yourself! The best antidote for feelings of resentment, regret, anger and jealousy is forgiveness. When you learn to forgive others for the trespasses of your past, then only can you forgive yourself for holding onto your own self-destructing feelings.

What many do not realize is that the longer negative energy is carried with an individual, the more negative energy that individual will attract. It is a simple fact: like attracts like. So why are you still holding onto your bad feelings about someone or some event? It is not every day that you get an opportunity to toss out the old ways and ring in the new -- New Years has come and gone. In fact we are already nearly a week into 2014. There is no time like the present time to put your best foot forward and let go of your anger and resentment. Life is too short to focus on feelings that will only bring you down in the dumps. You are better than that, aren't you?

We have all been hurt by someone at one time or another, but inspirational author, William Arthur Ward gave his global readers a long-lasting piece of wisdom about just that. He said, "It is wise to direct your anger towards problems - not people; to focus your energies on answers - not excuses." The hard truth is that if you are concentrating all of your energy on hating or resenting someone, then you are growing your negative energy like a cancer. When you focus on your anger and why you want to be angry at someone, the less chance you will find the resolution or inner peace in your life. In fact, the more you dwell on your anger and unwillingness to forgive, the greater the likelihood will be that you will feel alone and isolated. Don't be mad just to be mad. That is no way to live your life. Come on, it is 2014 - do you really want to hold onto such negative emotions?

Like Ward said, you essentially need to take charge of all that anger and turn it into answers, not excuses. It is a cope out to say and believe that you cannot have happiness or achieve success in your life because something happened in your past. If you want to be respected, you must first respect yourself and honor the positive choices you choose to make.

In the end, it is you who must live with yourself. How you feel, what you plan, what you say, what you choose to do… it is all up to you. No person or thing has the power to control your feelings, your words, your actions and the choices you make for yourself. Ultimately, you are in charge of your life. Do you really want to live it in emotional pain? We are one week into the New Year. Let bygones be bygones. Let your emotional defenses down so you can live the true being you are intended to be. It starts with a simple statement, "I forgive…"

Joan Marie Ambrose -- Author, Creative Writer, Motivational Speaker

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