Letting Go
For many people it is hard to let go. So they have things in their houses that are not really beautiful, merely there. They may have some extra pounds that never seem to go away. And quite possibly, they still remember that awful moment in high school when everyone laughed at them.
These are all examples of not letting go.
And that’s the result of an underlying lack mentality.
Lack means not having enough of something – and with a lack mentality, that’s a constant sense of needing more money, more time, more love, more appreciation, more support. It’s a mindset of looking for this from the outside, rather than finding it inside. And thus, we hoard things, in the desperate hope that they will make us feel better.
We hoard clothes, even if they don’t fit anymore. Presents from a long-dead aunt. Anger about a colleague. Old books. Resentment about something our mom did. Cracked dishes. Old hurts from school. Expired food. Extra pounds. That old medicine for athlete’s foot. The list is endless.
Full disclosure: I’m quite familiar with this. And I practice throwing old things away. What I learned is this: One has to consciously choose to let go of things. And it does take practice. Really.
I even learned to throw books away, which was a huge no-no for me most of my life. But the truth is that nobody will ever want old schoolbooks, brochures or maps.
Throwing away stuff you just tolerated is incredibly liberating.
So start now. Throw away something you do not really like. Something you’ve tolerated in your environment. A trinket. A book. Maybe even a plant. Go, get up and do it right now. It’s hard, isn’t it?
I’ll give you a couple of set-up phrases to make it easier for you:
Even though it’s so hard to let go of anything, after all, it’s all MINE, I’m okay the way I am, and I’m open to the possibility that my life might get easier when I let go of a couple of things.
Even though it’s so difficult to let go of things, grudges and emotions, even if they are ugly, I’m okay the way I am, and I’m open to the possibility that I won’t be less if I let go of some of it right now.
Even though it’s so hard to decide to let go of stuff, I’m okay the way I am, and I’m open to the possibility that life might be nicer and lighter, when I learn to let go of old stuff and live now.
And? What are you hoarding? And what did you throw away?
Image source: F. Moebius