Kate Allan On The Power Of Forgiveness
Kate Allan On The Power Of Forgiveness
MB - Here’s a story that made me realise how forgiveness was far more powerful than I had previously realised. Wayne Dyer’s father abandoned him and his three brothers when they were all under the age of 4, so all they had was their mother who was just twenty-two years old. Wayne was full of rage and hatred towards his father for many years after that. One day, he finally decided to go to his father’s grave in Biloxi, Mississippi. He just stood there and declared, “From this moment on, I send you love. From this moment on, I will no longer have any resentment or hatred or bitterness toward you.” He never dreamed of his father again. From that moment on, Wayne quit drinking, sorted his diet out, and the right people began to show up in his life. It was all about forgiveness.
Forgiveness is one of the key pillars to healing, in my opinion. It’s not just the forgiveness of others. We need to learn to forgive and not be so hard on ourselves as well. I sought out further opinion on the subject from Kate Allan, an illustrator and designer from Washington State. She writes and draws about painful things but aims to make it okay with bright colors and sparkles. Under the handle The Latest Kate, she has a social media following of more than 100,000 people. Her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, The Mighty, Wear Your Voice Mag, Sparklife, and more. Kate is the author of You Can Do All Things: Drawings, Affirmations and Mindfulness to Help With Anxiety and Depression (2018), It’s Your Weirdness that Makes You Wonderful: A Self-Acceptance Prompt Journal (2019), You're Smart, Strong and You Got This: Drawings, Affirmations, and Comfort to Help with Anxiety and Depression (June 2020) and Thera-pets: 64 Emotional Support Animal Cards (July 2020).
“I have had to learn to forgive myself in order to live a healthier, more fulfilled life.”
MB - How have you used the power of forgiveness in your life?
KA - I have had to learn to forgive myself in order to live a healthier, more fulfilled life. We are our harshest critics, and on top of having a very actively abusive inner voice, I am also a perfectionist! There’s no end to unkind criticisms I shell at myself. So, in order to not spiral down into depression, I’ve had to learn to let myself not be AMAZING at everything, “Yes, you messed that up, yes, you could have done better, but that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to be cruel to yourself.” My forgiveness journey has shown me the importance of being aware of my faults, accepting that I am still lovable despite them, and working on becoming better thoughtfully.
MB - What is the most important thing people should know or understand about the power of forgiveness?
KA - It opens your mind to other things. You aren’t as mentally wrapped up in pain and past hurts. I find when I forgive myself for my ignorance and mistakes, I can focus more on goals for the future. There’s no use in being mentally stuck in the past, we can only affect what’s happening right now
MB - What's one unexpected way to practice forgiveness?
KA - This is one I learned just recently from a comment on Instagram—when I have an unkind thought towards my body in the bathroom mirror, I apologize to myself. And honestly, it has made such a difference! I really feel better about my body in a significant way.
MB - Thanks, Kate, for these powerful forgiveness tools!
FEATURE RECAP:
Kates forgiveness journey has shown her the importance of being aware of her faults, accepting that she is still lovable despite them, and working on becoming better thoughtfully.
Kate finds that when she when she forgives herself for her ignorance and mistakes, she can focus more on goals for the future