What Nelson Mandela can teach us about personal growth

After 27 years of imprisonment, who could blame him if he was angry, bitter and resentful?

But Nelson Mandela was anything but. After his release from prison, he didn't choose to get revenge.

He chose to forgive.

Of course he could have taken the easy path towards retribution against all those who hurt him.

Instead he took the hard path.

He worked with his opponents to create a better society and future for his country.

By processing and letting go of the emotional weight of what he had been through, he was able to rise to his potential. To become the man and leader his country needed. And lead them out of dark times towards a brighter future.

This week's prompt might not make you the next Nelson Mandela, but it might help you identify and release an emotional weight that you've been carrying.

In his latest newsletter, James Clear asks:

What weight are you carrying unnecessarily?

Here's what it made me think about:

Emotional weight can show up in different ways in our life:

• Feeling guilty about past mistakes

• Holding grudges against people who hurt us

• Worrying too much about the future

We'll all experience trauma in our lives.

But when you don't process the emotions left behind by it, they can keep causing you harm.

Like getting a thorn in your finger. It might not cause an issue at the time. But the longer it's left in, the more damage it can cause.

Our emotions are the same.

Whether they appear as limiting beliefs, self sabotage or as a physical illness. They start to control you. Processing these emotions isn't about forgetting them, it's about releasing yourself from their control.

When you release yourself from the control of the emotional weight you feel lighter. And you're able to rise to your potential.

This week, take some time to think:

Is there any emotional weight you don't need to carry anymore?

What would your life be like if you let it go?

Let me know what you discover!

Your breakthrough might inspire others too.

Until next week,

Stay thriving,

Shoaib.