Perspectives That Serve # 9 - Forgiveness

It’s possible you may be asking yourself, “ What does forgiveness have to do with selling?” It has a lot to do with selling. This profession requires a focused mind and emotions that are freely and productively expressed. Bitterness interferes with that.

Clients disappoint. Bosses disappoint. Co-Workers disappoint. Employees disappoint. Forgiveness means walking emotionally free to give your best to your family and a career God has placed you in.

Un-forgiveness stifles life. It will shut you down and close you off almost faster than anything I can think of. Forgiveness isn’t really a gift you give another person, it is a gift you give yourself. And forgiveness isn’t forgetting. Forgiveness doesn’t mean foolishly giving unearned trust. My favorite definition of forgiveness I heard when I was only a teenager from a speaker/counselor named Bob Phillips. It goes like this…

Forgiveness means:

1. I won’t dwell on it.
2. I won’t talk about them behind their back.
3. I won’t use it against them.

This definition has really been helpful for me in learning to forgive. I have added two of my own more recently:

4. Pray that God would bless the person
5. I tell myself that if I had that persons experiences, upbringing,
and pressures I might do the same thing. If you don’t
forgive, it’s often because you don’t know enough of
someone’s story.

Forgiveness does not mean I have necessarily have positive emotions or feelings for this person although they may be developed over time. The feelings may never come.

What I love about those 5 things is that they are all choices. I can grab myself mentally by the back of the neck and make those 5 choices. When I do, the negative feelings and emotions that choke my life get neutralized and I can get on with my life.

Give it a try.