On Letting Go

photo credit: thebridgemaker.com

There is a saying, "let go and let God"- many people use it, seldom practice it in their own lives. It is hard to do- evolving as a person is hard work. It can be frustrating, exhausting, lonely, and there are so many other things that one could be doing that are so much more fun...(shoe shopping perhaps) the bottom line however is that in order to be the best you- at some point you have to shed some part of you in order to blossom and grow into the being you were created to be- or as I like to call it, 'realizing your potential'.

So why let go? Negative emotional buildup can manifest itself in many ways- including physical dis-ease; emotional baggage weighs you down, blocks your blessings, keeps you trapped in a mobile prison and my personal favorite: why not? What are you holding onto anyways? Ask yourself how is it feeding you?

Here's the thing: we all have had a childhood of some sort- some fond, maybe some not so fond. We all have challenges that face us on our journey to adulthood (and a whole load more once we finally get there) but the ones that block our path in our earlier years tend to have effects that are long lasting with unknown consequences (both pos + neg -if such things exist- in the grand scheme of things I'm beginning to think that they do not...but I digress) that can last well into ripe "old" age. If we harbor ill feelings they have a tendency to fester inside causing all sorts of maladies. Negativity tends to breed more negativity and hurt people hurt people creating more hurt people.

Here's the other thing: the only road map that exists in this life is internal and most people go through life ignoring it...our intuition. Instead they let fears, doubts and other external stimuli overpower their own guide-which is most important. Just like a muscle or skill if you do not use it, you lose it. Your internal guide begins as a subtle feeling- a nudge if you will, in this direction or that, however, the more you listen to it and value it's ability to point you in the right direction for you it gets stronger and stronger.

At some point in order to live our best lives and be the best we can be there will be cause to pause, take stock...and let go (I was tempted to put 'simply' but as a fore mentioned this process is not for the faint of heart)

Photo Credit: newblackmagazine.com

The process generally begins when we realize that we are doing something over and over again and in spite of the repeated process...we end up with a less than satisfactory result. I do believe that everything happens for a reason and it is up to us to find and utilize the lesson in the situation so we can continue our evolution as beings on this earth. Some people continue to repeat the same action expecting a different result- as is widely known this is one of the definitions of insanity. Other people STOP and try to figure out what the heck is going on...and in their willingness to do so...the process begins.

Truthfully speaking (from first hand experience) it can be a wearisome daunting process- well worth it but none the less at times it down right sucks. You lose friends, you have to face yourself honestly (I mean really taking a very hard look at yourself ladies and gents), your world seems to flip inside out and upside down and for awhile you really feel insane because your once comfortable space you occupied in the world has been shot to bits and what surrounds you is foreign and unknown...yet it is you and yours.

When I began my process many moons ago one of the phrases that began to haunt me was, 'trust the process'- I heard it so often that I began to resent it (and at times the process itself) but I honestly did not know how important that message was for me until it recently resurfaced in my life. One of my biggest issues (REAd: still working on) is trust- I am a problem solver, an analyst- I take great joy in figuring things out and to ask me to blindly trust anything or anyone immediately elicits an internal response akin to gagging or gut wrenching knotting- which brings up my other issue: patience. This process takes as long as 'it' needs to...what the heck does that mean? Unfortunately- it means exactly what it says...UGH! Yet I painfully realized that after a point- no matter what you do, no matter how you try to force your will on the circumstances- nothin's doin' and you have no choice but to wait and see how things unfold.

So if this process is so much fun (please pick up on the uber sarcastic tone in the word 'fun') why would anyone embark on it? When I began I thought about the alternative: staying stuck in the ickyness of pain and an unsatisfactory drab world (emotionally and spiritually). I often look to nature for guidance/inspiration and I noted that if things in nature do not grow they die, so for me- stagnation = death (in a spiritual sense). In essence I felt I had no choice, and in retrospect I didn't (of course you always have a choice- but for me, none existed but to forge ahead- it has always been my choice- I always chose life over death- perhaps my one guiding principle)

All is not bleak and grim once this journey begins (although I do not want to romanticize this process - much of the work is done alone and old habits do indeed die hard) you meet people, you do things, you go places you never imagined you would. You uncover the subtle beauty of life- both within and that which surrounds you. Your life begins to blossom in ways you could not have fathomed or designed better yourself- your true purpose, your very essence is yours to rediscover and claim. You uncover (hopefully) the wisdom in being gentle with yourself which naturally extends itself to those who cross your path and as you travel you reflect on your life and realize you can't imagine that you ever clung to where you were- life is definitely sweeter along the road less traveled.

Be Your Best You

CL

PS. And yes it is ok to go right instead of left 'just because', to indulge in a favorite past time because you feel like it even though you're "supposed" to be working, to hug a tree, to have a snowball fight, to face your ultimate fear head on, to yell from the rooftops, to follow the urgings of your soul wherever they may lead- IT IS OK TO BE YOU!