What Happens When You Let Go
When you let go, you create space for something else to move in to your life.
—Holiday Mathis
Yes, I read my horoscope. Not every day, but on the occasional day that I do, some sage piece of insight is waiting there for me. Perhaps that’s the nature of being Aquarian; I expect that little tidbit of goodness to be there.
I learned to let go decades ago when my life had more trauma and drama in it, and now that things are much more chill, I still I practice it often. It’s important to keep the practice up; any psychology expert will tell you that’s how you build a habit.
I’m no psychology expert, but having been part of enough therapy sessions over the years to be awarded an honorary degree, I’ll make this observation: It’s just as easy to build a good habit as it is to build a bad one. And that’s where letting go comes in.
Letting go, as Holiday Mathis wisely reminded me the day I read my horoscope, creates space for something else to move in to your life. It’s bound to be something more positive than what you let go of, since the impetus for letting go is to release the demons.
Letting go creates space for something else to move in to your life.
And look at all the options you’ll have. Each day is a day some new creative pursuit can move you. Couldn’t you sketch a self-portrait instead of reaching for your iPhone, paint the view from your studio window, photograph the coming spring, make a video from all of your rejected footage, write a short story, redesign your blog, finish your one-woman play or put the final scenes into your novel?
This is where creating space gets fun. As I wrote in Making Space for What Counts [Read that here], there are plenty of things to fill your newfound space:
- your writing
- your art
- your music
- your creative passion of choice
- your priorities
- your relationships
- and so on . . . what’s yours?
“Let go to make space.” That’s my mantra to remind myself to let go—and thus I can set my intentions.
I practice making space by deciding to Create First, React Later as a way of setting my intentions for just one day at a time. I came up with this strategy shortly after New Year’s had rolled around and everyone was making resolutions they wouldn’t keep. [Read about that here]. I dubbed it a resolution a day in lieu of a year’s worth, and it’s worked well. My rationale? You can do anything for just one day. And it could even become a habit.
You can do anything for just one day. And it could even become a habit.
Which brings us back to habits again. Letting go encourages good habits, rather than the bad kind, because it creates space for so much creative abundance and goodness to move in. As creatures who run faster on the hamster wheel when given rewards, we can encourage our own creative growth by that one act: Let go to make space. And reap the bonus of the positive feedback loop.
It’s in the making of space that the real magic can materialize. I believe in abundance, in possibilities, and most of all, in magic, and I want to make room for it to happen. ♣
How do you embrace the possibilities of letting go?
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informative and valuable!
Thank you. Nice to have you visit.
Love it and from a fellow Aquarian too!
Loved this! Pisces here but I’ve got a Capricorn moon which makes me expert at holding on to things that no longer serve me.
It seems to be a universal issue . . . glad to hear it helped and thanks, Joy! Today’s mantra: let go of one thing at a time. 😀
Letting go, means trusting your own instincts well to landing safely to take the next new steps.
Well said. Appreciate your feedback, Jean.
A wonderful and inspiring blog!
Much appreciated, Steven. Glad we encountered one another’s writing. I’m looking forward to following your blog.
Thank you. I always enjoy reading other people’s work. 🙂
I leave my Smart Phone off most of the day. In fact, I only turn it on when I’m in the car or walking to town. And even then, I don’t text anyone. I don’t call anyone and no one calls me. According to years of phone bills, I spend less than 5 minutes a month on that phone.
My life is the list in this post.
:o)
You’re the rare person that doesn’t have the “always-on” addiction; I’ve got it, to keep up with my touchstones, WordPress and Twitter; for occasional texts; and for many many iPhone photos–a true delight for me, and the premise behind many a post here. Glad to hear how productive you are without it, and that you commented, Lloyd, thanks.
You are welcome. I was born into a generation without televisions and the only telephones were party lines. My youth was spent mostly outdoors where I used my imagination.
The biggest thing I’ve had to let go in my life are the ambitions that had run their course. I hated being a band director, but did it long after I should have let go because that was what I thought I wanted.
But, had I never quit moved on, and then eventually quit career number two, I would have never found myself where I am now. Letting go of those dreams opened up the possibility of pursuing the ones that had been hidden within the whole time. So here’s to making space! 🙂
So true, Amalie, I can count the many giant experiences, careers, pursuits I’ve let go of (not easily, at first) and see the other opportunities that have opened up in the vacuum. Thanks for your thoughts.