People, generally, try to be the “bigger person” in most situations–but that can be tough. Wounds sting, run deep, and take lots of time to heal on their own. It can even feel impossible to see the person who hurt you in the same light as you did before the initial conflict.

But, time does heal all wounds, and once you open your heart, you’ll learn that you can forgive most people or situations if you are patient with everyone involved.

Of course, it’s important that you do stand firm in your convictions. You never have to forgive in order to forget; some cliches are true! However, you should change your perspective to welcome healing.

Operating with a heightened sense of compassion is incredibly fulfilling in all aspects. Removing a selfish perspective from all situations will help you understand people’s motivations, even if you don’t necessarily agree with them.

You won’t be able to get along perfectly with everyone you meet–humans are too different, by design! This is a wonderful aspect to the human experience, but it can be frustrating when you’re learning how to treat others with compassion.

Use compassion to change your mindset and balance out your relationships.

While you can’t possibly be friends with everyone, everyone has a story to tell. Somewhere, you are, unfortunately, the villain in someone else’s story. You probably don’t agree with their perspective, but to them, their perspective is gospel, just as yours is to you.

It’s not your job to make everyone like you, or to change someone’s opinion. However, compassion can solve conflicts, even serious ones, if you let it.

Being the bigger person doesn’t mean trying to let everyone into your circle. Instead, it means that you can see where someone else is coming from.

People are complex and nuanced, including you!

Archangel Zadkiel is here to help you see imperfections in everyone else around you for growth. Begin within; forgive yourself for anything you may have said or done in the past. You are not your past, and you deserve compassion, too.

Beginning with yourself will make it easier to forgive those around you. Understanding the basic principles of compassion takes time, but it is a rewarding process if you dedicate yourself to it. Of course, you don’t need to let anyone back into your life. If a situation or person is particularly dangerous, use compassion to forgive them from afar.