Holding grudges, both consciously and beneath the surface, will seriously erode your energy and prevent you from being able to fully focus on manifesting your desires. Fortunately once you acknowledge the need to forgive, the rest is easy.

Most people resist the idea of forgiveness because they want to hold on to blaming others for their problems. However, even when others do play a hand in the "negative" events of our life, we can never fully move pat such events without mindfully forgiving and letting go.

And most of us carry around considerable burden from our past. We may not consciously remember a grudge but still be holding it tightly.

If you have ever seen an old acquaintance and immediately become bitter about a past event that you hadn't even thought of for months or years, you have experienced firsthand the human ability to refuse forgiveness. The fact is we must make a specific effort to forgive and let go in order to release harmful and negative energies.

And forgiveness need not involve a conversation, or any type of interaction, with another person. True forgiveness and letting go take place completely in our minds and actually have little to do with people outside of us.

One great way to achieve forgiveness is to write the person you are holding hostility towards a letter explaining that you no longer hold them in any way accountable and that you wish them the best of love and happiness in life. Be sure to put honest emotion into the letter, and then feel free to throw it away once you're finished.

Again, there is no need to even communicate with the other person. This is about you and not them.

If you can't think of anyone you might be holding a grudge against, you could say out loud that you wish to forgive and release from responsibility any parents, family members, friends from past and present, employers and coworkers, customers, and businesses that you have ever had a disagreement with. Also decide to be aware each day of resentments and hostilities as they arise and be prepared to forgive and let go when the need arises.

In doing this, also be sure to address any angers you might hold against the universe, God, or whatever you use to refer to the events of life. Many people go through life feeling they are victims of circumstance, and this is an enormous obstacle to achieving any type of happiness and prosperity. By consciously forgiving the universe for anything you have previously felt victimized for you will free up massive amounts of creative energy.

And most importantly of all, you need to take the time to forgive yourself. All of us become angry with ourselves from time to time. While it's healthy to hold high self-expectations, it is very damaging to resent yourself for perceived failures and mistakes.

Tell yourself that every experience you've had in life is taking you in the direction you want to go. Refuse to believe in the myth of "wasted time" and understand that your journey is a process of learning and growing.

Let go of anything you are holding against yourself, and allow your true greatness to surface. This is one of the most important steps you will ever take on your path to abundance and happiness.