Forgiveness but Not Trust (Read Time: 1 min)

On a flight home this weekend, I picked up December's issue of Success Magazine. In it, I found an interesting article that did something I'd never read before: distinguish between forgiveness and trust.

I've always said "Forgiveness doesn't mean you go stupid." Brash? Yes. True? Absolutely! But, in this article, the author points out the solid tenet behind this idea. He explains that while you can forgive someone, forgiveness does not require that you trust that person again or ever.

Extraordinary success happens when you trust and honor who you are. Forgiveness is a requirement for extraordinary success. Unforgiveness keeps you stuck in the past. Forgiveness frees you up to create your future. Without forgiveness, you have no momentum upon which to build your success.

However, just because you forgive someone does not mean you have to trust them now... or ever. The ability to forgive comes from knowing that 1- you can forgive, 2- you trust yourself, and 3- when people show you who they are, you believe them. In this way, you can forgive someone, let the past go and still know who they are enough not to put yourself in a similar situation with that person in the future.

At the end of the day, knowing the difference between forgiveness and trust

comes down to one very critical success quality:

Wisdom