When you learn to let go, your life will change. The ways you benefit may be dramatic or small, profound, or fundamental. This is amazing life advice.
“In those moments when we realize how much we cannot control; we can learn to let go.”
Sharon Salzberg
Learn to Let Go: Amazing Life Advice That Works
Can you learn to let go? Many people aren’t very good at letting go. Too many carry things we’d be better off discarding, such as:
- Accumulated stress
- Toxic emotions
- Suspicions
- Grievances
- Petty annoyances
“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”
– C.S. Lewis
Why Hold Onto Negativity?
Why do people insist on holding onto such negativity? What good outcome could there be from this often-unconscious activity?
- For one thing, you might fear losing some critical piece of data.
- You may be worried about not having access to something useful one day.
- Or, you may want to hold on to something to get back at another.
However, the more you try to hold onto something, the more anxious, fearful, and ineffective you become. What results isn’t comfort but something opposite. If that is your purpose, you defeat the goal of living a fruitful, productive, and happy life.
Learn to Let Go of Things Out of Your Control
Granted, many things are out of your control. Knowing this is true is enough to cause fear in any sane human being, but this should also bring comfort.
- If much is out of your control, why hold onto it?
- Why take on the responsibility for something over which we cannot exert control?
For example, a loved one or friend develops a disease. While you may feel guilty, angry, or that you somehow contributed to it, it is not your fault that they got sick. Learning to let go of these harmful emotions will not diminish or eradicate the disease, but it will help you be more effective in dealing lovingly with the person who’s ill. You’ll feel empathy and not absorb the negativity of feeling powerless.
Learn to Let Go of Others’ Consequences
Another area where you can learn to let go is the consequences that happen to others. This includes loved ones, friends, co-workers, and casual acquaintances.
Unless you have directly taken part in actions that result in those negative consequences, they are not within your control. As such, you shouldn’t dwell on them.
What About Letting Go of Unrealistic Goals?
Suppose you always wanted to be thin but were born with specific genetics predisposing you to the opposite. This is an example of an unrealistic goal. You can mope, be self-critical, and go to extremes to counteract nature. But that will likely fail.
A better solution is to learn to let go of unrealistic expectations. Determine whether your goal allows you to be who you want to be. You may be able to modify it to bring it into line with reality. This applies to stretch life goals as well. Do what you can to live a healthy life and maximize your talents and gifts.
Learn to Let Go: It Isn’t Easy
“Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.”
– Roy T. Bennett
Letting go may not be easy, but it allows you to begin to appreciate life and its richness.
- Once the burden of all that negativity lifts, solutions to problems may appear.
- Furthermore, opportunities may be easier to recognize.
- You may even feel that a burden has been lifted.
The key is acknowledging what bothers you and then letting it go. Whether or not you can control certain things, learning to let go is a wise approach to healthy living.
