A client that berates you because of a lack of results

A client that berates you because of a lack of results.

A coworker who throws you under the bus.

A boss who makes disparaging comments.

We’ve all been there.

You feel mistreated.

Anger.

Frustration.

Bitterness.

These feelings recur.

You grow resentful.

However, you must continue working with them.

But how?

Can you forgive them?

I find beneficial a story of two ex-prisoners of war.

Together they sat, years after escaping from a brutal prison camp.

One asked the other, “Have you forgiven our captors yet?”

The second said, “No, never.”

And the first said,

“Well then, they still have you in prison, don’t they?”

Forgiveness isn’t for others.

It’s to lift the burden of pain in you.

Forgiveness isn’t weak.

It takes courage.

To forgive doesn’t mean you forgive and forget.

It doesn’t condone what happened.

Review your relationships.

Personal and professional.

Where are you carrying resentment or blame?

Ask yourself, “If I had to let go of this story of ‘wrongness,’ what difficult emotion would I have to feel?”

It’s not easy.

The process often takes time.

But remember, this is for you, not them.

Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.