Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in your journey.
It’s always necessary to accept when some part of your life has reached its inevitable end. Closing the door, completing the chapter, turning the page, etc. It doesn’t matter what you title it; what matters is that you find the strength to leave in the past those little parts of your life that are over.
Remember, what has happened is uncontrollable, but what you do now can change everything. Knowing this and actually living a lifestyle that reinforces this truth are two very different things of course. Letting go isn’t easy – it’s a journey that’s traveled one day at a time. If you stick with it though, here’s what the journey will ultimately teach you:
- In life, we all gradually outgrow what we once thought we couldn’t live without, and then we fall in love with what we didn’t even know we wanted. Life keeps leading us on journeys we would never go on if it were up to us.
- The most powerful changes will happen in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over everything you don’t.
- Most people make themselves unhappy on the average day simply by finding it impossible to accept life just as it is presenting itself.
- If you worry too much about what might be, and wonder too long about what might have been, you will ignore and completely miss what is.
- When you are lost in worry, it’s easy to mistake your worries for reality, instead of recognizing that they are just thoughts. Mindfully letting go is the remedy.
- The biggest obstacle to growth you’ll ever have to overcome is your mind. Once you can overcome that, you can overcome anything.
- You can’t calm the storm. What you can do is calm yourself, and the storm will pass.
- Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a little while, and that includes YOU. (Read “The More of Less”.)
- As you move through life, you’ll gradually learn to value your time, genuine relationships, meaningful work, and peace of mind, much more. Little else will matter. Thus, the strongest sign of your growth is realizing you’re no longer worried or stressed by the trivial things that once used to drain you.
- The secret to getting ahead is to focus all of your energy not on fixing and fighting the old, but on building and growing something new.
- You can’t control how other people behave. You can’t control everything that happens to you. What you can control is how you respond to it all. In your response is your power.
- Letting go doesn’t mean you don’t care about something or someone anymore. It’s just realizing that the only thing you really have control over is yourself in this moment.
- Letting go allows you to be selective in your battles, and oftentimes peace is better than being right. You simply don’t need to attend every argument you’re invited to. (Note: Angel and I discuss this in detail in the “Relationships” chapter of “1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently”.)
- Sometimes it takes a little heartbreak to shake you awake, help you let go, and show you that you are worth so much more than you were settling for.
- The ultimate measure of your wisdom and strength is how calm you are when facing any given situation. Calmness is indeed a superpower. The ability to not overreact or take things personally keeps your mind clear and your heart at peace, which instantly gives you an upper hand.
- Oftentimes letting go is simply changing the labels you place on a situation – it’s looking at the same situation with fresh eyes and an open mind.
- There is absolutely nothing about your present circumstances that prevents you from making progress, one tiny step at a time.
- Underneath it all, the hardest part is not really letting go, but rather learning to start over.
- Stepping onto a brand new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation that no longer fits, or no longer exists.
- It’s not too late. You aren’t behind. You’re exactly where you need to be. Every step is necessary. (So don’t judge or berate yourself for how long your journey is taking. We all need our own time to travel our own distance. Give yourself credit. And be thankful you made it this far.)
Now it’s your turn…
Above all, remember that happiness is letting go of what you assume your life is supposed to be like right now, and sincerely appreciating it for everything that it is. Let this sink in deep. You are enough. You have enough. You do enough. Just let go, and live right now in this moment.
But before you go, please leave Angel and me a comment below and let us know what you think of this essay. Your feedback is important to us. 🙂
How has letting go affected your life?
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