Are you holding yourself hostage, feeling stuck, feeling ashamed or feeling unworthy because of your past? You may have; trusted the wrong person, made poor financial choices, mistreated someone, didn’t complete your studies, had serial meaningless relationships, mismanaged your money, hold grudges, misjudged others, walked away too soon from a relationship, business or job.
You may have; a poor credit score, babies by different fathers, had a history of addiction, never learned to speak up in an abusive relationship, misused your body, ashamed of your family, been divorced several times, lied, abused or cheated on someone, or continually beat yourself up with negative self-talk about your body image or past poor choices. It isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others, but sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
If you can’t forgive yourself, you are doomed to live in shame. When you can’t forgive others, you live in blame. Holding grudges, shame and blame can only block your blessings. Don’t waste your power, time and energy on dead issues. Let go of the negative garbage in your life. Empty your mental trash can. Begin to write in your journal about your feelings. Working on patterns of your behavior is often more helpful than ruminating about your regrets.
As I began to think about mistakes I made in my marriage, parenting, spending habits, real estate I shouldn’t have sold, food I shouldn’t have eaten, things I shouldn’t have bought, places I shouldn’t have gone to, people I shouldn’t have trusted, things I shouldn’t have said, or opportunities and money I lost because of doubt, procrastination, fear or feeling unworthy…I knew I had to learn how to forgive myself.
Once I no longer lived in denial and had the courage to face and own up to my harmful behavior and lack of information…I was able to forgive myself. Once I knew better, I did better. Once I stopped blaming others or seeking quick fixes when my emotional buttons were being pushed…I began to see a “better me”. I began to recognize the unrealistic expectations I had of myself and others. I learned how to repent, respect and repair broken promises and relationships. I learned to reduce ruminating about past mis-takes (e.g. thinking about it over and over again). I resolved in my mind, heart, and choices to continually grow in every area of my life. I am more aware of my habits and mindsets so I can learn from past mis-takes so I won’t repeat them. I learned to reach out to others to give and receive love, compassion, and connections…which helped me to realize I am not alone and creates accountability. Once I remembered the mercy and grace of God in my life…wow! I knew I was the only harsh judge of myself. Rejoice in knowing you have God’s unconditional love. Don’t let the past rob you of your present or future. Peaceful and productive days will come as you make up your mind to only focus on thinking, speaking and acting in a positive way. Work on healing any areas in your life of shame and guilt. You must feel worthy. This clears the path for you to experience more love, more success, more breakthroughs, more blessings and more peace. Always remember prayer cannot change your past but it can change your heart.
~ Jewel Diamond Taylor, ready to speak for your conference, campus, retreat, workshop, church or workplace training, 323.964.1736
To schedule your one-on-one life coaching/mentoring session with Jewel aka “EmpowHERment Life Coach” call 323.964.1736 or email – JewelMotivates@gmail.com
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