A Wish for 2020

A few days ago I asked my students to name a wish they had for 2020.

All but two students had a selfish wish:

Get more sleep.

Choose the right college.

Bench 225 lbs.

Learn something new.

Now, I don’t blame them. When I was 17 I’m sure if I was asked to name one wish I had for 1997 I would have made a selfish wish…maybe get a Nokia cell phone or to see Third Eye Blind in concert.

But 22 years later I’m in a much different place.

So I asked myself the same question: What is your wish for 2020?

My wish is that every person over 30 years old be required to forgive themselves once a month for an entire year.

How nice the world would be with 12 moments personal forgiveness?

And I picked 30 because you have now accrued enough mistakes, pissed off enough people, hurt yourself, hurt others, and harbored enough anger that you could use a monthly cleansing.

You forgive yourself for every failure because you are trying to do the right thing. God knows that and you know it. Nobody else may know it. 

~ Maya Angelou

To tell you the truth, most of my self-anger stems from getting sick in 2013. I mean, it doesn’t make sense, it’s nobody’s fault but I had to be angry at somebody.

Over the decade, I’ve learned to take it easy on myself and practice forgiveness. And if more adults practiced self-forgiveness highway traffic, supermarket lines, subway platforms, and the world at large would be a much better place.

Self-forgiveness is how we absolve the shame and guilt we all live with.

It’s how we all heal.

It’s how we grow.

It’s how we all look hopefully into the eyes of a shining new decade.

Happy New Year!

Be well,

Jay

Life favors the brave. Subscribe and receive my weekly stories, nudges of encouragement, and positive messages to help embrace your challenges and find perspective and purposeful in our crazy lives.