It’s important for each of us to establish who we are and stick to it. Those who will love and support us for our authentic self will be by our side, while those who truly don’t will not be in our life for long. Be unapologetically who you are. Stay true to your inner spirit. Your inner self will guide you to know when it’s time to make changes and let go of what no longer is for you.
There reaches a point in many situations when we are faced with the tough decision to let go. Perhaps we’ve been working for a company for many, many years and are starting to think about making a change. Maybe you’ve been married for a very long time, and suddenly you’ve discovered somewhere along the line the two of you have grown apart or outgrown each other. Maybe you are constantly traveling for work between two locales and need to decide whether to keep ping ponging between those two places or to make a change. New parents are always faced with the choice of continuing to work or to stay home after their new baby arrives. Deciding to relocate for a new job is yet another example of when major changes may be required.
Health can also force us to switch things up. We may have an ailing loved one who demands more of our time and care. We may wish to care for them, but that would require major changes to our work life. There are many different situations that cause us to pause, evaluate, and make a decision that will drastically change the course of our life. Perhaps you have to make the difficult decision of whether to put your beloved pet down after they’ve suffered from a major health crisis. Worse yet, to allow a loved one to pass on after a major health crisis, such as a coma.
Deciding when it’s time to let go is never an easy decision to make. There are many different scenarios in which we will be forced to make a challenging choice between keeping things as they are or letting go to make a change. People often have a difficult time through change. Typically, to have to change something significant in life means the end of one thing and the beginning of another. It’s a type of death and birth. We often become very comfortable with the way things are, even if we find ourselves to be unhappy. That familiarity gives us a sense of security. The old familiar is rather safe and secure. The unknown is scary and uncertain. This is what keeps many people from filing for divorce or breaking off a toxic relationship. The familiar unhealthy relationship is more comforting than the mysterious uncertainty of future relationships or being alone.
It is during these difficult times of decision-making, that we must find a way to listen to our own inner guidance. Our intuition will lead us to decide what is the right course of action. Our inner guiding voice will help us make the most appropriate choice. Sometimes letting go requires us to surrender to the unknown and have faith that everything will work out as it should. Which, by the way, it normally does!
Letting go may also involve your mindset. For example, you may need to release your childhood fears or behaviors in order to grow into the adult that you have now become. Letting go of intangible things like past toxic memories, negative emotions, and unhealthy inner beliefs is also a necessary challenge to overcome.
Whenever you are facing a decision to let go of a home, job, relationship, image, dream, expectation, mindset, or even a life, be sure to quiet the world around you and take the time to listen to your inner guidance. You already know the proper course of action. Your “gut” will guide you to continue with something or to simply let go. Release can be frightening or even devastating, but afterwards there is a sense of calm. The turbulence comes prior to and during the letting go process, but then the ride smooths out. Deciding to let go is tough, and actually doing it is tougher.
What we discover after we’ve released something is that the process of healing can begin. Again, letting go is like a death followed by a birth. Once the old norm is grieved and released, then you can embrace and look forward to a new norm. Allow yourself to experience a new norm. That comes the moment you decide it’s time to let go. This process is what Lao Tzu was referring to when he stated, “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” Grant yourself the ability to experience a fresh start and a new experience, after you officially determine that it’s time to let go. You’ll simply know when it is time.