Pat Mesiti: There Is Nothing That Has Ever Happened To You Or To Anyone Else That Cannot Be Forgiven

By Author: Alex Carlson
Total Articles: 25
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In his brilliant book Even Eagles Need a Push, businessman and author, David McNally, tells a wonderful story about LeLy Hayslip. LeLy Hayslip speaks on forgiveness as easily as she speaks on personal tragedy. During the Vietnam War, soldiers tortured her by sending electric shocks through wires attached to her body. She was then tied to a stake in the hot afternoon sun and honey was poured on her feet to attract biting ants.
Lely has had more than 20 years to heal the physical and psychological wounds caused by these and other gross indignities, and has put her experiences into a book titled When Heaven and Earth Changed Places. The power of forgiveness in her life has been such that it inspired a vision to build a bridge between Vietnam and the United States to heal the Veterans and the Vietnamese people. In her words, ‘We must forgive every single human being in the whole world, not just in Vietnam and the United States, but the whole planet; we are here together.'
In spite of the indignities that Nelson Mandela suffered, he shows no hint of bitterness towards his jailers, calling instead for a life of ...
... dignity and understanding with all people. Your heart's memory must eliminate bad things, magnify the good, and must always be thankful that in spite of what others do to you or what you may have done to others there is still hope in the future. Forgiveness is a thing that cleans the deck of our lives. Resentment and anger always hurts us more than the other person we refuse to forgive.
Dr Bernie Siegel, in his incredible work with cancer patients, says, 'You can learn to forgive yourself. You can't change your shortcomings until you accept yourself despite them.' Learning to forgive yourself, learning to forgive others, helps us soar into a positive future, a life of greater fulfilment. There is nothing more bitter than a bitter person.
I remember during one of my periods of restoration and rebuilding how one of my friends challenged me about how bitter I was becoming. I immediately defended myself, but in my reply I heard exactly what she had heard and realised what I was becoming. I had to uproot bitterness from my life or it would have become a tree that would bear ugly fruit, not just in my life, but in my children's lives, my business life, in my speaking life. I refuse to get bitter and I choose to forgive.
Challenge
Take an honest look at your own life. Are you becoming bitter over a past failure? Because if you are, it will hold you back from achieving real success. Worse still, it will affect your relationship with those around you. Deal with it, forgive those who have hurt you, and move on and upward.
Other Motivational Books by Pat Mesiti
Attitudes and Altitudes

Pat Mesiti at his best! This book addresses the "how's" of leadership. It deals with vital principles such as leader development, how to network people and how to bring out the best in those around you. Pat Mesiti speaks on: growing big people, passion, leadership, mentoring, encouragement, attitude, credibility.

Dreamers Never Sleep
Pat Mesiti, in his comical yet challenging way, will show you how to: replace wrong perceptions with winning attitudes, deal positively with change, define your destiny, go beyond the 'norm', handle failure and discover what success really is and how it can affect your world.

Opportunity Knocks
If you are one of those millions of people around the world waiting for an opportunity to take your life to another level, then this book is for you.
1) recognize opportunities
2) grab opportunities that come your way
3) Persevere with opportunities
Wake Up and Dream
Discover the power of personal vision and how your dreams can help change the world.
The various topics include: how to rise above the limitations of your past, defining your dream, developing a plan to make your dream a reality, developing character, skills and attitudes that facilitate change, and unlocking the gifts and talents of those around you.
To obtain more information on Pat Mesiti's Motivational Books, CD's and products, or to book Pat as a Motivational Speaker for an upcoming event please visit www.mesiti.com