Forgiveness As A Top Strength:

If Forgiveness is your top strength, you are good at forgiving those who have done you wrong. You always give people a second chance. You believe in mercy, and not revenge.

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Virtue Category:

Forgiveness falls under the virtue category of Temperance. Temperance deals with strengths that protect us from excess. It is the practiced ability to monitor and manage one’s emotions, motivation and behavior in the absence of outside help.

Key Concepts:

It is important to distinguish forgiveness from:

• condoning (removes the offense)
• forgetting (removes the awareness)
• reconciliation (restores the relationship)

Instead forgiveness is a strength that we employ to protect ourselves from the feeling of hatred. It is a specialized form of mercy; a general concept of feeling kindness and compassion towards others.

Exercises For Boosting Forgiveness:

Take 20 minutes and write about the personal benefits that resulted from a negative incident.

Think of someone who wronged you recently. Put yourself in their shoes and try to understand their perspective.

Remember times when you offended someone and were forgiven, then extend this gift to others.