I was taught as a child to forgive people for things they may say and do. I was able to do this for the most part unless my ego got involved. If that happened, all bets were off and I made the person an enemy. Once I learned that there are no enemies; there’s just the ego creating external ones, forgiving became easier. The next step in my growth was to do more than forgive. I had to forget.

Every person on the planet is imperfect. There are no exceptions. If we keep this truth at the forefront of our minds, we will take very little personally. Whenever I feel an urge to be mad at someone or beat myself up for a failure, I stop myself. Nothing good comes out of this type of thinking. It only leads to hurting yourself and others. And it’s a distraction from the present moment that life gives us to be loving and contribute to the world in a positive way. The more productive action is to forgive. And the truly powerful way forward is to forget. It’s really that simple.

I make it a practice to learn from past successes and failures. When I achieve a goal, I review what I did well. When I fall short, I seek to learn what I can do differently next time. And when I or someone else breaks a promise, I think an apology is in order. However, if one is not given, I think it’s important to practice “accepting the apology you never received.” Then forgive. And most importantly, forget.

Forgiving clears a space for love to come in. Forgetting goes further by disappearing any perceived wrong committed so you can begin anew. It’s an acknowledgment that we are all human and deserve an opportunity to reinvent ourselves. It says, “By forgetting the act, I accept you and love you for who you are and where you are in your journey.” It’s an act of loving kindness. Give the gift of forgetting to others and especially yourself. Once you do, you will see everyone in a brand new light, starting with you.