Hey there, friend.

A mother once told me something that I will never forget.

She said, “Your children will break your heart more than anyone else.”

I believe this is true for all close family relationships.

… Even the healthiest and most functional ones.

The people we love the most will always hurt us the most.

Why?

Because we care about them more than anything else in the world.

Even if we don’t want to admit it, we crave their approval.

We want to love and be loved in return.

In order to find balance within our relationships, we must remind ourselves that nobody is perfect.

We all make mistakes. Each and every one of us.

Although we can’t stop our loved ones from hurting us every now and then…

We can choose to fiercely love them, even when doing so feels like the most difficult thing in the world.

I’m not saying you need to “fix” your relationships with problematic family members, or make things right with them, or even have contact at all.

But you do have to learn to feel empathy for them and forgive.

If you don’t, you’ll only be creating an inner prison of your own making.

Let the pain go and say yes to love.

What’s in the past is over and done.

Forgiveness and empathy will set your future free.

With gratitude,

📚 #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
🎧 Host of the On Purpose Podcast
🙏 Former Monk

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On Purpose with Jay Shetty

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Forgiveness doesn’t always come easily. We must actively work on letting go of the pain and hurt on a daily basis.