Letting go Helps you Grow

Last month I moved homes.

I had accumulated so many possessions. Some of them I really liked, and other stuff I had held on to “just in case.”

So, to lighten my load, I began the process of going through every single one of my accumulated possessions.

I could have tried to keep everything, but I realized I just wanted to keep my favorite things, and let go of the stuff I liked, but didn’t love as much as the favorites. It was harder than I expected at first.

I was able to sell some things and donate others. The hardest to let go of was some of my heavy, cast iron Le Creuset cookware. I could have kept it, but I knew it would be used more if I let it go to someone who may need it more.

I was able to take it to a resale shop. And since I had a lot of items, I went back the next day and the shop employee told me that customers had already bought my pans from the day before, and they were overjoyed to find them. The store employee was happy, the customer was ecstatic, and I was so happy that I could let go of some of my stuff that had served me well, so that someone else could enjoy it.

And now that we’ve moved into our new place, with only my very favorite items, I feel free and fresh.

I feel like letting go of physical possessions parallels letting go of other things in life.

For example, I had a great season of recording a podcast. It was fun, I enjoyed it, I had lots of people say they received inspiration and value from it. It served its purpose well.

And then I let it go. I did one season of 42 episodes and decided I felt complete.

I might create another podcast someday, on a different topic. But for now, I feel happy to open that space for other creative endeavors in my life and business.

Letting go helps us grow. As much as we think that some things are permanent, the truth is, everything is very temporary. And sometimes we can get stuck when we are overly attached to possessions, ideas, positions, or situations that are no longer our favorites.

Here are 3 ways letting go can help us grow:

1. When you let go of something that you no longer need, love, or use, you open up the space and energy for something new to come it.

This could be tangible items, new opportunities, or even rigid ways of thinking that are not serving your life.

2. When you let go of what you no longer are excited about, someone else can enjoy it.

This has happened to me with past jobs that I felt I had outgrown. This happened to me twice in my life. I felt like my job was comfortable, easy, and paid the bills, but I knew it was draining my energy. I had outgrown the positions. But I was afraid to let them go because, “what if I didn’t find something better?”  Who would I be in the next phase without the comfortable position?

I finally realized, that someone else was waiting for my position. It was their dream job, and it was time for me to step aside and let them love it as much as I once had.

This happened with some of my possessions that I resold. In addition to the Le Creuset cookware, I sold a Peloton bike. I no longer needed it in my new home, but I did like it.

I held on tightly to it, even though I rarely used it. I thought I wanted to keep it and use it. I bought it during lockdown when the gyms were closed, and it seemed like a convenient item to keep around.

But it was heavy, and took up space in my home.

The truth was, I needed to let someone else have it who really wanted to ride it everyday and use it more.

I ended up finding the perfect new owner, a family with five teenage kids who wanted to use it daily.

3. When you hold on to things that are not for you any more, you don’t have any space for new things to come in to your life.

You have to let go of what you don’t want in order to let in what you do want. This is true with physical possessions, relationships, work, time commitments, and pretty much everything in life.

So if you feel like you are stuck, or ready to move on to your next level of growth, a great exercise is to start letting go of all the things that you no longer need, want or love.

What possessions can you give away to someone who will use or need them?

What time commitments can you start letting go of?

Who is taking up a lot of your time or energy without your conscious permission?

What habits are you ready to let go of to replace with the ones that make you happier and healthier?

Nothing is forever, so the sooner you free yourself from what no longer serves you, the more your life will flow and you will reach new levels of growth and abundance.

Download my free guide, 4 Ways to Live a More Intuitive Life here.