The Art of Letting Go: How to Let Go Gracefully
With great talent comes great responsibility. When you’re meant for greater things, but you aren’t quite excelling right now you may start to feel antsy. You may not always know how to pinpoint the what or where, but you now something’s got to give. Today, I want to talk about how to move on gracefully from that which no longer serves you so that you can give yourself a fair chance at thriving. From jobs to people to things, letting go is an art so let’s get into it!
The first step to letting go is listening to yourself. You know that voice that says something’s not right here. Maybe your job isn’t valuing you or your talents. Maybe a friend isn’t really as supportive as they think they are. Or maybe it’s time for a change of scenery in the form of a new city! Whatever the case may be, you have to be honest and really listen to that intuition. No one can tell you when it’s time to let go but yourself so don’t go looking for an outsiders opinion to make that big life change.
Make a plan. From small choices like cleaning your closet, to the big ones that can change the course of your life the best plans are ones well-laid. Can’t part with things? Make a goal to replace it with something goal-worthy. For example, when I moved across country twice I got rid of most of my belongings I knew that I would replace clothes etc. and it was an excellent lesson on letting go. I moved from Texas to SF with 4 suitcases and a dream and left SF to move to DC with even less. It’s amazing what happens when you CHOOSE to let go. I will say Marie Condo is right when she says to thank the item and let it go—there is something so cathartic about thanking a precious item and sending it away.
Remember: you’re waiting for you on the other side of fear. Now let’s talk about the big things: people and places. Too often people get stuck in the familiar because they’re scared of the unknown, but what I find more frightening is not growing. Personal growth is magic. You are a work of art, ever-evolving and when you are around people or jobs that stunt your creativity it’s pretty hard to become your best-self. No one said it was easy, but man is it worth it. Sometimes the best self-love you can show yourself is tough love. I’m the first to say I’ve had to force myself out of situations that I wasn’t ready to leave but knew it was ultimately for my greater good—I was right.
Be gentle with yourself. Maybe you’ve been in a relationship for longer than is healthy but you don’t want to let go because that would be time wasted. That’s just not true. Every day you are breathing is a miracle and you have so much life and love left to give—you just have to start with yourself. What do YOU see for your future? Can you imagine a life you’ve created for yourself somewhere else? Do you have goals and aspirations that you need to go after alone? DO IT. Take the leap, bet on you, and watch yourself soar. Change doesn’t always happen over night but a commitment to honor yourself daily will lead you to the brightest paths unknown.
Now, do I think the listed steps will solve all your problems and set you free? No. But I do know that this is what has worked for me so I have no doubt others can benefit from working to shift their mindset to embrace the unknown and let go of that which doesn’t serve us. I believe in the power of you, and I hope you do too! See you here again tomorrow amigas!
