By now we have all heard about the importance of forgiveness but its value is worth repeating. Not only are we in an unprecedented time in which hanging onto one's anger is seemingly more important than finding solutions to the problems we face, but it is exactly that anger and the offense we feel that prevents us from moving forward as individuals let alone society as a whole. Forgiving those that have offended you, trespassed against you, or harmed you is critical for you to find peace and an ability to move forward. And this practice is maybe even more important when it comes to yourself. We need to practice forgiveness of ourselves and show ourselves a little more compassion when we make mistakes, or harmed and offended others. While we must seek forgiveness from those we have wronged as part of being fully accountable for our decisions and actions, we must also learn to show the same compassion and respect to ourselves and forgive ourselves of the mistakes we have made. For without forgiveness we cannot hope to overcome the feelings of resentment or vengeance or hope to work ourselves beyond victimhood. Seeking and practicing forgiveness is a critical character trait and not just a characteristic of good leadership, but of being a good person.