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We are now finding that the increasing pace of doing our jobs is leading to greater stress, less time for personal fulfillment, and declining satisfaction. We change jobs, companies, locations, and careers in an ever-growing climate of discontent and an increasing search for meaning. Forgiveness can help us be present and greatly reduce the stress in our lives.
"Forgiveness can free us from the imprisonment of fear and anger that we have imposed on our minds. It releases us from our need and hope to change the past." Gerald Jampolsky, M.D.
In Eckhart Tolle's book, "The Power of Now," he distinguishes between "clock time, that which deals with the practical aspects of our lives and psychological time, which is identified with the past and our continuous compulsive projection into the future." While we focus often on the past and future, we must remember that everything that is occurring is in the present. If we made a mistake in the past and learned from it, we are dealing with clock time, as well as when we plan a trip, do a strategic plan for our organization, or make an appointment. It is important to distinguish these different types of time so that we can strengthen our ability to make healthy choices in the present.
"Nonforgiveness necessarily implies a heavy burden of psychological time." Eckhart Tolle
When we have guilt, self-criticism, and remorse or find ourselves dwelling on past issues, we are in psychological time. To see how much we get caught up in this practice, we must learn to slow down, breathe, and focus our awareness on the present moment. Noticing our thoughts, judgments, and evaluations allows us to see how firmly the past and future have a grip on us. It takes us away from the freedom to make choices and take action in and from the present. We begin to see how much we derive a sense of our "self" from the constant stream of thoughts that cross the window of our mind. Therefore, this process of forgiveness, if addressed with any real depth, takes us to the question of, "Who are we really?" Are we the body, the mind, our judgments, evaluations, and assessments? These essential questions help us focus on what is important in our lives and work.
"You derive your sense of self from the content and activity of your mind. Because you believe that you would cease to be if you stopped thinking." Eckhart Tolle