As human beings, there’s one characteristic that many, many, MANY of us have: stubbornness. Don’t get me wrong – sometimes, that’s a good thing. It can be used in the form of persistence, to not give up on something you know you deserve or want. But sometimes, it can be a bad thing.

Today’s challenge deals withforgiveness.

We’re stubborn. We fight with people, a lot. Whether it’s a small disagreement over something silly or a full-out flareup over a huge issue, fighting is something we just always do. People hurt us, we hurt them, we hold grudges; it happens.

But all of that negative energy isn’t healthy for a good spirit, and it isn’t going to help you be happy. I’m not suggesting that you welcome someone into your home who committed some treacherous act against you or your family; this is a small task, a simple one, that can lead to bigger changes in the future.

Today’s challenge for you is to forgive someone.

Yep, that’s it. Just forgive ONE person. If you had a fight with a friend and they’ve tried to repair things with you, let it go and forgive them, welcome them back into your life. If someone did something that rubbed you the wrong way, drop it. They probably didn’t do it to intentionally hurt you. Maybe you’re jealous of something, or you got hurt by something small; now is the time to let it go, and realize that holding on to that negativity isn’t healthy. Even if the person didn’t mean to hurt you – maybe you just took something personally – it’s easy to hold on to things.

Forgive them.

This doesn’t have to mean coming out and saying “I forgive you.” Clearly in some situations, that might actually flare it up and make things worse if the person feels they did nothing wrong. (I can think of at least one situation in my life where this approach would NOT work.) This challenge is about finding something good inside yourself, letting one bad piece of energy go, and moving forward with someone you want in your life.

Yes, this could be construed as letting someone off the hook, telling them what they did was okay, or whatever other negative spin this could take. But that’s not the point. The point is, sometimes we hold on to little things that nag us, eat away at us; sometimes, these things are even with someone we consider a loved one or a friend, and we continue to be close to them despite this nagging ‘thing.’

Just let it go. Forgive them, and that’s it.