The Big Book of AA calls resentment a spiritual malady and “the offender that destroys more alcoholics than anything else.”
For many of us, resentments can drive all sorts of escapist, self-medicating choices and seep into how we do life.
It’s been said that holding resentment toward someone is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
I know I’m never more miserable than when I’m in the grip of a grudge — and never more likely to make those around me miserable too.
On the other hand, letting unresolved resentments go can feel like being set free.
Take David, former president of an $80 million company and the target of his father’s verbal abuse when he was 11. The buried pain was sabotaging his ability to excel in a new venture launching his own consulting business.
The struggle led him to our men’s ALL IN Retreat on self-discovery, where things changed for him in a big way.
“I was able to see I no longer had to carry a burden given to me by my father,” David said. “As a matter of fact, I realized it was never mine to carry. So I set it down.”
Since his breakthrough, David has experienced renewed energy and optimism, business success and a fraction of the stress. He describes his vocational satisfaction as “off the charts,” and he’s having a positive impact on those around him.
So what about you? Is the burden of resentment weighing you down? Are you ready to unload it? Learn how in my book here.