To JUST QUIT is Not the Same as Giving Up.
It is Letting Go of What is Not Working.
Letting Go is the Opposite of Holding On
Below is a practical example of the difference between holding on and letting go:
- Look around and find something that is near to you and pick it up.
- Hold on to it REALLY TIGHT. How does that feel? How do you feel holding on really tightly to whatever you picked up? Are you in any discomfort? Is there stress on your hand, or on your arm? Do you feel the tension?
- I know it hurts…so now…Let Go of It.
How did you Let Go of It?
You just DECIDED to Let Go.
Then what happened? You relaxed.
That is what Letting Go is all about
deciding to free yourself of what you are holding onto.
THE PROCESS and PRACTICE OF LETTING GO
There are so many things you can let go of that may be holding you back, causing you pain, making you unhappy, locking you down and limiting you. This list could include many things, such as;
- Thoughts
- Feelings
- Habits
- Desires
- Beliefs
- Staying Busy
- Stuff or Clutter
- Financial Decisions
- Holding Grudges
- Other People
- Jobs or Professions
- Failed Marriages
- Shopping, or
- A Faith That No Longer Serves You.
If you are new to Letting Go, then you may not know how to Let Go or Just Quit. You may not know how to pick one thing that you are doing, saying , believing that is now limiting you, making you uncomfortable, or causing you or others pain?
Below are some steps you can use to help you Learn to Let Go:
First DECIDE that you are going to start the process of Letting Go. Just make a decision.
Start with something small like Letting Go of a Thought.
- Just pick a reoccurring thought that is not healthy or serving you.
- Maybe it’s a negative thought about yourself — that runs like a record in your head.
- Your Just Quit Thing would be “I will Just Quit thinking (fill in the blank).
- “When I think that thought I will be aware of it and decide to let it go.”
From Thoughts you can Move on to Feelings.
Observe the feeling –
- Name it
- Own it
- Accept it, then understand that it is just a feeling and you can choose if you want to feel that way in this situation in your life.
- Regardless of the feeling you do not have to act on your feelings.
- You can feel it, acknowledge it and Let It Go.
- Just release it to the universe and decide that you will Let It Go. ” I will Just Quit acting on every feeling.”
You can then Move on to Letting Go of Desires.
- Think about the suffering and pain that “desires” have caused you.
- You know the drill: “Once I have a new house, a new job, a new mate, get my degree, lose 20 pounds, get out of this marriage, have surgery, make more money, get promoted, get out of debt, retire from working, (feel in the blank); then I’ll be happy.”
- You can live your entire life waiting to be happy.
- Just decide to be happy now with what you have and where you are.
- Have your goals and go for them, but be happy now.
Maybe you’re a pro at Letting Go. You’ve been working on controlling your mind, thoughts, emotions and feelings and now you are ready to Let Go of Negative Habits (behavioural patterns of actions) such as: “I will Just Quit Overeating, Overspending, Excessive Shopping, Not Exercising, Drinking, Smoking, Taking Drugs (legal and illegal, they are all drugs), Gambling, Watching Sexually Explicit Material, Procrastinating, ect”. It more difficult to let go of habits, but it is possible and life changing.
The next thing to work on Letting Go of is Beliefs.
- Beliefs are things which have become part of your identity.
- These beliefs help you define who you think you are.
- They could be religious beliefs, beliefs about the world, beliefs about the environment, beliefs about others, beliefs about yourself, your friends, or your loved ones.
- A part of your life’s journey is about deciding what beliefs you should plug into.
- There are some beliefs that may have served you well at one point in your life, but not now.
- Beliefs change but sometimes are hard to let go of. “I will Just Quit believing (fill in the blank).”
The final category is Letting Go of Yourself, as you know yourself.
- The self that thinks that it is separate and not connected to everyone and everything.
- Remember to begin with the end in mind… The End Results Model…one day “you” will not exist, not here, not as you know yourself. You will die. You will then have to Let Go of Self.
- Don’t wait until you are dead to understand that life it about letting go…and you missed the point!
“There’s an important difference
between giving up and letting go.”
~Jessica Hatchigan~
