Skip to content 
Forgiveness is a Gift You Give Yourself
I am facing judgment and criticism, a lot of it, from those who are closest to me and I am sure from those who I do not know. I bought The Book of Forgiveness on a whim almost two years ago and picked it up two days ago. Why? I couldn’t tell you, but I can tell you that I had an undeniable need to do so. A Morning Awakening It’s 10:15 on Tuesday morning, May 12 2020, I have been reading and journaling for the last three hours. And like I felt compelled to read The Book of Forgiveness, I felt an intense draw to write this post. There is light and dark in life. I believe that the two do a dance that intertwines and separates them all within a few musical notes. Good and bad, happiness and anger can all exist in the happenings of our day. We live in a very social and public time where our life is on display for all to see. I am aware that there is a choice to display our life or not to and in what detail. The decision is made for me because of my career as a speaker and author. For those with a ‘public brand,’ we have a choice: how much do we share? I don’t know how to be any other way but genuine and authentic, which means sharing all the good along with the bad. The Path to Forgiveness I have recently chosen to tell my story publicly through Instagram and blog posts. There is so much light in my life that I want to share with the world. I am but human and darkness exist too, and sometimes they both exist on the same day or even throughout the weeks and months. Telling my story, my truth as it happens in which I am learning is the first step to forgiveness. It was this quote that urged me to type these words. “We cannot walk the Fourfold Path in shame or silence. After all, the first step on the path is telling our stories. The process is not quiet and is not always pretty. It calls for a vulnerability that can be uncomfortable at best. It will ask much of you, sometimes more than you think you can give. However, the gifts and the freedom that will be returned to you are beyond measure.” And while my story will come in bits and pieces, I am writing it and telling it as I remember it. It is my truth, my perception, and my story. Forgiveness Can Take a Life Time It took me almost my entire life to forgive mp parents for our time as children. To overlook their inability to choose alcohol over us or their desire to ignore the fire in front of them. Going through the exercises outlined in the book this morning has been eye-opening. When asked to write down who I need to forgive, my parents were not on the list. I remember telling my story a few years ago. It brought about the same anger and criticism from those in my life (and probably those I did not know) as it is right now. I can say without a doubt, however, that sharing my truth was the start of a beautiful relationship with both of my parents. A relationship built on the foundation of peace, acceptance, and understanding of the fact that they did the best they could with the tools they had at the time. It was my path to forgiveness. Now, even when my mom shares that she feels terrible, I can honestly look her in the eyes and thank her for what happened as it has given me the strength I needed to forge through life. Without that strength, I don’t know if I could endure the chapter I am closing in my life right now. I can look at my dad in the eyes and tell him I love him and that I am proud to call him my dad. With the purest form of love, I can say that I am proud of what he has accomplished and overcome. I chose to forgive but not forget because it is within my story that I have gained strength, character, love, and the skills I need to do life on my terms. Forgiveness is a Choice I have a list of people in my life that I need to forgive. A list I will not share publicly. The stories, my truth, however, is part of my healing. I choose to go down the path of forgiveness so I can walk through life unencumbered. For those that don’t agree, that is ok. It is your choice to walk by my side on this journey, to judge me, or meet me at the end when we decided if our relationship will be renewed or released. “Forgiveness is not a choice you make for someone else; it is a choice you make for yourself.” We Have All Been Harmed, and Have Harmed I do want to make it very clear that I have harmed as well. I am human, heck, we all are. The choice to be free lies at the fork in the road after we’ve been harmed, injured, or hurt. The decision to walk down the path of anger, resentment, and retaliation is your choice. Will you become victim to the hurt others (or even I) have caused, or will you choose to walk down the path of forgiveness? Making this choice will allow you to lift the burden of anger that you carry on your shoulders. I realize that not everyone is comfortable with being vulnerable, that is also ok. That doesn’t mean others shouldn’t be. If you have woken up this morning angry for being harmed ask yourself why? And when you are ready to forgive, start by writing your story.
Humbled, addiction is an ongoing battle
I sat tonight in the back of a room watching someone close to me, whom will remain anonymous, reach a milestone that a lot of addicts never reach. I heard this person speak and really realized that addiction is not a choice, it’s a disease. Even though I have been there to support this person through the toughest of times it didn’t dawn on me until tonight how much support and determination is needed to make addiction a choice, to choose to fight, to choose life, and to choose sobriety from their drug of choice. As I listened to the speakers tell their stories I felt a lot of emotions; empathy, compassion, sadness, but most of all I felted very humbled. You see, tonight I also realized that those without addiction take for granted the ability to get up everyday and be able to face the heavy weight of the world ( that we all wear on our shoulders) and move through the day without the need to lean on a drug ( including alcohol) to forge through and make it out the other side. Tonight I felt thankful to be able to handle whatever life throws me and be able to wake up the next morning without the regret on how I handled that heavy load I ( we) carry. I listened to these stories and felt grateful for being apart of this person journey and honoured for them trusting me enough to help them through their darkest time. Because an addict doesn’t handle everyday problems like you and me, an addict turns to a drug of choice to numb the pain and escape- they give in every day to escape life’s challenges and they’ll do anything to get what helps them to cope. I saw clearly tonight that addiction is a disease, it’s not a choice. And those that are brave enough to face the up hill battle on the road to recovery are the strongest people any of us could know. The choice is to fight for life but the battle just begins at that moment. Because once that battle begins it’s about winning the war against addiction. Humbled is how I feel going to bed tonight. Tonight I will pray to give strength to anyone battling addiction. You are brave. You are strong.
The Millennial Generation Lacking Service Aptitude
The Millennial Generation Lacking Service Aptitude A Mix Of Generations Our up and coming employees in the work force are Millennials. The current executives and leaders in the work force are Gen X and Baby Boomers. Neither generation fully understands each other, nor do they want to spend the time to do so. It is the current executives and leader’s (Gen X and Baby Boomers) responsibility to take the time to understand the up and coming generation; the millennials. If we don’t take time to understand what drives them, what makes them want to get up every morning and come into work, we will have a whole lot of very unhappy, underutilized talent roaming the halls of our organizations. Furthermore, we have to care not only about what drives these individuals at work, but what matters to them personally as well. We need to take care of the future leaders of our organizations as a whole person in order for them to have the desire to learn and provide the experiences to your Customers that is aligned with your organization’s standards. Millennials; Things You Need To Know… They have grown up being told they are great; they win without being the best They have been handed a lot They need instant gratification Creating human connection doesn’t come easy They have low self-confidence and need reassurance and guidance They have lower Service Aptitude than any other generation. This is not their fault, they are a product of their environment. We need to keep this notion in the forefront of our mind. Millennials Also… Want to be a part of a great purpose; “what’s in it for me” is a big deal Are willing to work hard Want a steady flow of income; it’s not about the highest pay Are open to guidance and training and want to please their employers What Is Service Aptitude? A person’s ability to recognize opportunities to exceed a Customer’s expectations, regardless of the circumstances. What Determines A Person’s Service Aptitude? How Do You Play A Part In Developing Their Service Aptitude? This is where you as a leader come in. Our future workforce is a blank canvas with little life experience and little to no work experience, leaving you to put the Service Aptitude of your organization into them with the training, guidance, and care you give them. We believe “It is NOT the employee’s responsibility to have high service aptitude, it is the company’s to give it to them.” Remembering this and adjusting your on-boarding and training processes to reflect their needs will go a long way. What’s In It For You And Your Organization? If you give this generation all you’ve got, they will give you all they’ve got! Remember, they crave a purpose, they want to please and do well, they are creative and will work hard for those leaders and organizations they believe in. By filling the hallways of your organizations with forward thinking, motivated millennials and instilling your Service Aptitude in them, you will experience a shift in how your Customers are treated (internally and externally). Your organization will be on a path to realizing the success of your Customer Service Revolution Journey, but most importantly you will create the future experiences your Customers receive by investing in this generation as a whole.
