The Importance of Letting Go Reading

We have all had at least one point in our lives where we have faced the decision of whether we should let go of or hold on to something or someone. Letting go is often one of the most difficult things that we have to do in our lives, yet sometimes it is the only way that we can get ourselves to move forward. It can be especially difficult to let go of things that we still really want to hold on to. These things often times, whether they are objects, people, or ideas, are usually things that we have a hard time admitting that we don’t need because we still like them so much. For some reason, we have conditioned ourselves to think that we need to hold on to them because the thought of them going away or the thought of us missing them is just too much. However, we need to take a step back and see beyond the act of letting go itself which is hard and can take time. We instead need to look forward and see what letting go will allow new room for in our lives.

Some of us may have a hard time letting go because we feel insecure. We may think that we will never find something that’s good enough or better than what we already have. We have to understand that this simply is not true. As long as we remain hopeful, there are far better things that will begin to come our way. We cannot let our attachment to something get in the way of our letting go processes. If we truly love ourselves, we will take time to reflect. Is what we have truly good enough for us? If there is any shred of doubt, we need to begin to consider letting go of whatever it is. We are the masters of our own destinies. Our choices ultimately determine how much we grow and succeed. We will now allow ourselves growth if we are remaining stagnant in our lives. In order to give ourselves room to grow, we need to practice evaluating what we have and deciding whether or not it is really worth holding on to. I’m telling you from experience that once you are honest with yourself and make a decision that something needs to go, it will be hard at first, but when you give yourself time to get used to the idea, you will never look back because you will see how taking this step truly benefits your growth and your life.

One way to begin the letting go process is to ask yourself, “If I let this go, what will it make room for?” The general answer to this will most likely be something of equal or greater value. The most basic example of this might be that you’ve been holding on to a sweater that you have but you haven’t worn in years. You love the sweater. Your best friend gave it to you for your birthday. You remember the last day you wore it and what happened while you were wearing it, but you know that you probably won’t wear it again. The sleeves are slightly too short and it’s a bit out of style now. It can no longer serve you in the way it once did. If you let it go, you clear that hanger in your closet, and it becomes a possible place to hang a new item of clothing that you might find the next time you’re out shopping. This item of clothing will probably fir you better and be more in style. It will be a better choice for you. It’s an extremely simple example, I know, but the idea is the same in even more complex situations. You see, when we give something up, the love that we have for it is never truly lost, it just eventually transforms itself into a love for something else. This is possible because now we have made space for something new to come along. It is very important to keep in mind that even though we have let something that we care for go, we always get to keep the memories that we have of it.

Letting go does not have to mean forgetting. It means releasing something’s ability to affect you in a negative way so that when you are remembering it you are not bombarded with bad feelings. Can you miss something? Sure, but you are also keeping in mind that you now have room for better, more positive things in your life. If you are choosing to let go of a loved one because loving them and having them in your life is no longer serving you in a positive way, letting go does not mean forgetting everything that ever happened with that person. It means being able to distance yourself from that person and fondly recall memories involving that person without feeling sad that you do not have him or her in your life anymore. This is quite obviously a process, and at times it might not be an easy one. However, letting go of that person frees up your existing love to channel toward other people who might be a better fit for you in your life presently. In order to help yourself through this, if you feel yourself starting to miss that person in a way that makes you feel sad or lonely, redirect your thoughts toward thinking about the endless possibilities for which your life now has space for.

We have the power to decide what we let go of and what we hold on to, and those decisions will eventually shape the trajectories of our lives. If you hold on to a job that you do not love for too long, it can have a negative affect on your happiness and overall well being, but if you let go of it, even if it is scary and slightly sad to do so, you are opening up your life for other possibilities and experiences that there was not any room for before. Letting go of something that you truly love or care about, or just something that provides your comfort, is truly difficult. Keep in mind; all people struggle with this at some point in their lives. Be kind to yourself, and forgive yourself if you are having a difficult time letting go of something that no longer serves you well.

First, live in the present, and think to yourself, “Is loving this person, thing, or idea really serving me and making me happy at this current moment?” If the answer is yes, you might not be able to, or may not need to let go yet. If the answer is no, then you need to take your questioning a step further and ask yourself, “Could letting go of this thing, person, or idea lead to me living a brighter and happier life in the future?” If the answer is yes, or even if the answer is maybe, then you need to seriously consider beginning the process of letting go. Do it even if it seems scary and even if you know that you will miss whatever it is that you are letting go. Better things will come your way, maybe not immediately, but they will. Love is not lost or destroyed when we let go; it just eventually takes on a new shape.

I came across the following quote quite a while ago when I was in high school. I’m not sure that I truly understood it then, but reflecting on it has helped me tremendously as time has gone by. My hope is that reading it can help and inspire you as well. “All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” -Havelock Ellis

What's the MOST memorable event where you actually let go of something?

What's the one thing that is so sentimental for you, you haven't let it go?