Letting Go: When I get caught up in trying to control everything in my life, I am setting myself up to suffer anxiety and anger. Becoming aware that I am holding onto painful thoughts and feelings is the first step to a higher level of thought.
Learning to let go of things I can’t control is one of the great lessons of my life. ~ www.jaywren.com
1. Letting Go of People Who Drag You Down.
It is healthy to spend time with others. But spending time with people who complain and criticize sours my mood and muddles my thinking. Hanging out with mentally healthy people helps me become a mentally and emotionally healthier person.
2. Letting Go of the Past and the Future
Ruminating on the past drains my energy. Furthermore, holding onto resentments creates a permanent state of anger.
Worrying over things that have not happened creates anxiety that clutters my mind and weakens my ability to solve problems.
Getting out of my head helps me focus on what is in front of me and around me. This focus enables me to enjoy life and be present for my family, friends, and professionals.
3. Letting Go of Guilt.
Carrying around guilt lowers my self-esteem and confidence. There are only two things I can say about guilt. Either I was wrong and will try not to do it again. Or I was not wrong and I am not going to worry about it.
4. Letting Go of Fear.
Living with fear cripples my mind and imagination. Many of the things I have feared never happened.
Solutions: When I feel afraid, I take a deep breath. I step away and take a break. Often, exercise or rest help me move beyond the feeling of fear.
5. Letting Go of Mistakes.
Everyone makes mistakes. Smart people don’t dwell on their mistakes.
- Mistake made.
- Lesson learned.
- Move on.
Even if I do nothing new, mistakes are inevitable. Moreover, I allow myself opportunities to do new things. Sometimes I am pretty hard on myself, but I don’t punish myself for being less than perfect. In a sense, there are good mistakes in that they help me learn and grow.
6. Letting Go of Obsession over Results.
When I obsess with the results and not the process, I create pain and lose clarity.
Instead of obsessing over results I do these things.
- I create the goals.
- Then I create a plan to reach my goal.
- Big projects require adjustments.
- Therefore, I update the plan.
- However, despite the best plan and the best effort, failure happens.
- Worrying about results creates a cluttered mind that makes me less effective.
For example, a retail goal is to make sales. A store can plan to increases its sales when it increases the number of shoppers in the store and the amount of time each shopper spends in the store. Retail stores focus on the process of getting and keeping shoppers in their stores.
7. Let Go of Inconsistency.
One of the business clichés is to embrace change. Sometimes change is good. Sometimes change is way to get lost in the wilderness.
Change can create many feelings. Positive change lifts our spirits. Negative or uncertain change is stressful.
One solution is to assess the value of changes. From there, focus your attention and your effort on positive change. However, don’t focus on the prospects of change. Remember, we can’t control the future.
8. Let Go of Being Busy
Leaders set priorities based on the things they can get done today. This process removes anxiety over things beyond their control. Focusing on today’s priorities empowers the leaders to follow the process of their plan. However, piling on extra work to the priorities of the day drains my energy and takes me away from the most important things I need to do.