The Price of Holding a Grudge

Grudges can be dangerous. The inability to let go can eradicate joyful living, it can leave you empty and mad…very mad.

Bitterness causes problems, it prevents you from settling into self, it cuts you short of embracing what’s good and great about YOU.  You get stuck and when you’re stuck the greatness that you work so hard to achieve, slips further and further away.

A negative emotion and a positive emotion can not exist at the same time. You’re either all-in on the flow of moving on or you’re all-in on the toxicity of resentment.

Take “Shirley”, a 60-something year old woman for example. She has a long history of holding grudges. She’s been all-in for decades. Even though some of the events are over 30 years old, she keeps old events at the forefront of her mind, as if they just happened yesterday. I’ve been in her company and she relives various experiences and talks about them while everyone else has moved on. Her memory of the experience is one-sided, so she could be holding the anger under false pretenses. Regardless of the storyline of what happened or who wronged her, she has lost plenty: Love, kindness and deep, purposeful relationships. The grudges she has chosen to abide by have cost Miss Shirley a high price and she is solo in paying that debt.

In this episode of RE-TV I have a great analogy that will help you see grudges differently. You’ll also be inspired to quickly shift from bitterness to boldness. There is a high price for holding on to resentment but you don’t have to pay the price. Ask yourself the $86,400 question described in the video and see where you land.

If the 86,400 question isn’t enough proof then this one should be alarming: Holding a grudge can actually make you sick. That’s right, physically ill. A WebMD article on breaks it down and states the facts. Check it out.

The mere fact that you found your way here to RE-TV tells me that you are challenging yourself toward a stronger life and the inability of letting go of old hurt will stagnate your progress.

Let’s not worry about trying to “forget it” or how to get unstuck from past grievances, just get on with it. Get on with living and leave the personal vendettas behind.

Life throws all sorts of curve balls and you can’t dodge and fake them all, eventually you’re going to get hit, why add more hits through self-induced bitterness? Let. It. Be.

With Love,

Raquel