Letting go – two simple words and yet something you and I probably struggle with.
I’ve been in numerous challenging situations in my career and personal life, where I know letting go was the right path to take. Yet I chose to ignore logic, advice and the other path pointing to a new way.
I’ve read self-help books, listened to podcasts and watched YouTube videos on letting go and, perhaps, finally, my brain is developing as a muscle to practise what is preached at me.
The past is a heavy burden for all of us. We are always looking back at it, thinking about it and considering how things could have played out differently. The thing is though that looking back may be instructive, but obsessing over the past is unhealthy and will destroy present joy.
Far better, to use that driving metaphor, to face the road ahead and watch events in front of you, than stare at the rear-view mirror. If you do that in a car, you’ll crash and you will in life.
“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose. — Lyndon B Johnson
I’ve had to let go of jobs, habits, careers, clients and relationships – friendships and family ones.
None have been easy; many I’ve fought tooth and nail against.
But if you allow a traumatic past to dictate your presen, then happiness and peace of mind will prove to be elusive.
“Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.” – Daphne Rose Kingma
Remember too a basic tenet of stoicism, humanism and many other philosophies – the only person you can change is yourself. There are certain things we can’t control or change – the weather, other’s attitudes and opinions.
The past is in the past – ruminating about it, grieving for it, wishing for a different sequence of events won’t change that past.
Acknowledging, letting go and moving forward by working on yourself (by living a better life and becoming a better person) will bring far more comfort to you than the rear-view mirror of regrets.
Letting go is tough. It requires time and mental discipline – but once you’ve let go, you can forge a positive future.
