When we hold on to something, it affects our entire biology, biochemistry, and in turn our own reality. To change this we must perform the act of letting go.
This act is not simply saying “I’m letting go” We can say that all day and night but if we are still holding on at a subconscious level we will never know what is just around the corner.
What’s more, is saying this but not acting on it causes us to become more misaligned and incongruent with what we want. Our Nervous System hears one thing but sees another.
When this happens we become more frustrated and even anxious as we don’t draw closer to what we desire. On this inside, we think we are doing everything right but do not see any changes in our reality. This leads us to lose our trust in a higher power and slowly begin to doubt ourselves, our abilities, and our destiny.
When the truth is, we haven’t even taken the first step.
When we hold on to something, whether it is something we want, a current life circumstance, expectations of others, or old stored emotions we think we are in control. The narrative tells us that this is safe and that in order to resolve it we must remain in control.
Letting go seems pretty simple but requires an immense amount of deep work within. It will require you to come face to face with your fears. You’ll become aware of the subconscious patterns that led you to hold on so tightly in the first place and will need to address them head-on.
We may experience uncertainty and doubt as new emotions come to the surface. We may even feel physical discomfort as our body learns to adapt to this new way of being and possibilities.
And, this is all part of the process. The only remedy is to take action.
Take a look at the current situation and what’s working and what isn’t. You may need to make some tough decisions or have a difficult conversation. Maybe you need to change everything you’re doing, how you think, and even who you hang around with.
Letting go may mean quitting that job and starting your own business. Moving to a new town. You may even have to end that relationship to allow something better to come in.
Taking action can be scary. We are coming face to face with our fears but it is only temporary. What is on the other side can be far greater than we ever imagined.
Let Go to Be in Flow
When we truly let go and trust that what we want to be created will be, we enter into a state of flow.
To do this we must be willing to take a 1,000-foot view of our situation. When we hold on to something, we cannot see what is possibly around the corner. This makes it even more difficult to let go because we only see one reality.
When we diverge we open up to all possibilities and something greater to come along. It becomes easier to let go of old ways of thinking, move on from old behaviors, and say goodbye to the things that are not serving us.
All of a sudden, new synchronistic events start to enter our lives. New opportunities may come along, we develop new and inspiring relationships, and our actions result in better outcomes.
The best athletes in the world describe this sensation as an out-of-body experience. They are able to achieve new heights and perform at the highest level. Everything seems to go their way.
They let go and rely on their training and abilities to achieve great results. By doing this, they stop thinking of how things should be and allow something greater to come through. They enter into a state of flow, AND it all seems effortless.
We cannot enter this state when we hold on to the way things should be. When we do we run the same neural patterns that got us here in the first place. We run old emotional patterns, we have the same thoughts, and we end up taking the same actions.
Achieving what we desire is in direct correlation with our willingness to let it go.
When we are willing to let go of what we desire, we open the door for something far, far greater to enter into our lives.
Practice
Letting go is a muscle we must train.
- Look at something you have wanted to show up in life but hasn’t. Are there old patterns you are holding on to? What fears come up when you think about letting go of control? Is there anything you are avoiding doing? List all the ways you could be holding on or hesitant to let go.
- Take a 1,000-foot view. Are you singularly focused on one outcome? Is there something greater you are missing? Take 5-10 minutes to write down all the new possibilities and outcomes. Allow yourself to think BIG and be open to any and all possibilities.
- Create a list of action steps. For all the things you listed in part 1, what is one action step that you can take to counteract that? You may have to make tough decisions, have a difficult conversation, make a phone and forgive someone, move to a new home, city, or state, take a risk, quit that job, change your diet.
This is you performing the act of letting go. It may not be easy but it is the only way to see what is around the corner.