Sometimes when we invest so much into an idea, person, or life, we focus our attention on attainment. When we get what we so desired, we then focus our attention on maintaining.
But when do we stop to ask ourselves if this is what we really wanted?
Getting what we think we want is always a lesson. For me, the lesson is always one of letting go. We have to let go of our expectations of how things are going to be (expectations blind us to reality). We have to let go of what we invested in attainment (that was simply the cost of the experience…think of it as a college course). And, most difficult, we have to let go of what is no longer serving us.
It is the most difficult because it sounds the most selfish. But really, it is the most vital to our health and wellbeing. If the idea that inspired us turns into the enterprise that drains us, you can be sure that our health and happiness is impacted by the drain. If being with the person you thought you wanted to build a life with makes you feel more alone or more drained than you were when you were single, you are pulling yourself under water. If the life you worked so hard to build for yourself makes you feel trapped in any way — a job that you don’t want, a house that you can’t afford, or things that you don’t need — stress and anxiety are sure to follow.
When we are in these situations, it can be difficult to see a way out. How does one cancel a career dream? Or leave someone they care about? Or create a new life? The answer is simple, they choose.
We are only limited by our imagination. Around the world, people are living lifestyles that we may automatically consider primative. But when psychological studies show that these people as happier and more content with the life they have than the so called “first world” countries, who is really getting it right?
We must not allow ourselves to be confined by our limited view of what we think is possible. We can not hold ourselves back by being trapped in what we think we need.
Letting go is an art. It is having faith in a greater reality and state of being. It is appreciation for lessons learned. It is knowing when it’s time to go.
Intuition guides us on timing. But we have to be ready to make the choice. If we are not ready, God will give us more and more information to confirm what we already felt. Eventually we get the message. But letting go is hard. It means that we have to acknowledge that maybe we were holding on to a dream. And it means that we have to give up fear of a different future. We feel comfortable in what we know…even if it is uncomfortable. Our life becomes like a beautiful pair of shoes that we love because of the style…but feel pain walking in after a certain amount of time. We keep walking in them because we don’t want to be barefoot…and they are so beautiful, maybe it’s worth a little pain?
But you are made of stardust. Your life is not meant to be painful. You are meant to fly! So first, you must put down all of the things that are keeping you grounded. A bird does not fly with a backpack on. You, too, must put down your baggage…emotional, mental, and material…to fly free. It is your birthright.
Photo source: fly free