“The Art of Letting Go”

One of the hardest things in life, for most of us, is letting go. Whether it be a person, a habit, an item, a feeling – most times, we go through a great deal of stress when it comes to releasing it. Humans are, inherently, creatures of habit. We take comfort in familiarity, in repetition. We hate when something disrupts that constant, because we’re pulled out of our “safe” zone, our bubble, and we feel vulnerable and unsure. We hold on to things way past their expiration date, way after the relationship has gone sour, when the habit has become almost detrimental or nonsensical, because we seen to think that if we release it, we may risk releasing a part of ourselves. The paradox in holding on is that we start to miss out on opportunities for growth, we don’t free up the necessary space to allow other people or experiences in, and essentially, we stunt our development as human beings.

How do you know you’ve been holding on too long? When it doesn’t bring you even the slightest amount of joy. When you’re investing wholeheartedly, but you see no return. When it starts to hurt you spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and even physically. When the thought of it makes you ill or angry or depressed, more so than the thought of it NOT being in your life. When you feel more empty than you do whole. It’s time to let it go.

In my very humble opinion, the entire purpose of life is to be as genuine and intense and awesome as you are, and to share that genuinely intense awesomeness with the rest of the world. Your goal should be not what you can acquire and hold on to, but what you can give and release back into the world, to improve it and the lives of others. Your uniqueness and your gifts are what sets you apart from others. Don’t be a hoarder – your home – and your soul – should be free from clutter and outdated things.

Appreciate what you have and who you have had enter your life, and learn the lesson. Enjoy the experience, and let it allow you to mature and become wiser. Nothing in this world is yours forever, and, although this may be difficult to comprehend, those people you’re holding on to against their will, because you can’t see yourself letting them go, they aren’t yours either. Once you start to sense that they are rattling their cage, don’t put a sheet over it and hope they’ll go to sleep. Open the door and let them soar, because when you give them their freedom, you’ll start to have yours.