As said time and time again, you must learn how to forgive, or you will never be happy. To move forward, you have to move past the hate, and the only way to do that is through forgiveness. As cliché as that is, it is also true. Negativity only breeds more negativity, and in the world we live in today, I'm sure we can all agree that more negativity is the last thing we need. Life is simply too short to not forgive.

That being said, forgiveness is easier said than done. I, for one, am no expert in the area. When bad things happen to me, I tend to hold onto those feelings in an attempt to prevent them from ever happening again. Holding onto that anger makes you aware and helps you avoid those things, right? Wrong. Like I said, negativity attracts negativity, and I've found myself getting into more of the same or similar situations instead of avoiding them.

So how do we overcome this? For one, we realize that forgiving does not mean forgetting; it just means letting go of the negativity. So, I have begun to forgive. I forgive you and you and you, and not just on the surface. I have really, truly forgiven people, and the weight that has lifted off my chest is incredible. I feel happier, healthier and yes, even prettier. I stopped biting my fingernails, and I started dressing nicer again and doing my hair and makeup. I no longer feel nervous and stressed all time.

Though I have seen major improvements in my life, my journey of forgiveness still is far from being over. There are some people that I cannot bring myself to forgive quite yet, and that is okay. Some scars are far below the surface, and it will take awhile to heal them. It is a process of baby steps, and as long as I am taking some of those steps every day, I am on the right track. For me, forgiving some people feels almost like a weakness at times, but it's not. The act of forgiveness takes unbelievable strength, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Forgiving someone is not letting them win or giving into them. It is being the bigger person. Maybe if we all started striving to be the bigger person, the problems in the world would start to lessen. That may sound a bit naive as I am no expert, but I'm trying my best. I hope you all will do the same.