Letting go

Where do your negative feelings come from? Are they being imposed on you from outside? It may seem that way. You may think you have no choice. You may think that it’s not your fault, that you’re being angry because someone is making you angry.

But that’s not the case at all. When you’re angry, it’s because you have chosen to be angry in response to whatever is happening. You’ve chosen to be angry because of what someone else has done. Actually, it’s probably not a response at all. It’s more of an automatic, mindless reaction — something you programmed yourself to do a long time ago. It’s become just a bad habit that you don’t even think about — you just do it.

And then you hold on tight. You hold on tight to that anger, or resentment or frustration or guilt or whatever it is. And why exactly do you hold on to those toxic feelings? It’s certainly not because they do anything useful for you. It’s definitely not because they feel so good. Maybe it’s just because they’re comfortable. Maybe it’s just because they’re easy. After all, it can be easier just to react with frustration than to carefully think through the situation and to find a positive way to deal with it.

Yet there is another choice. And it is an enormously powerful, empowering choice that will free to you advance and achieve no matter what may be going on in the world around you. And that choice is simply… to let go.

So, how do you do that? How do you let go of those negative emotions? It’s really very easy. In fact, the “how” part is extremely easy, once you’ve decided you’re ready to do it.

Pick up a pencil and hold it in your hand. Squeeze your fingers around it and hold it very tightly. And notice a couple of things. First thing, it feels very secure. That pencil’s not going anywhere. Secondly, it’s really not that pleasant. You wouldn’t want to hold it that tight for very long.

Now, just relax your grip. Don’t push the pencil away. Don’t throw it. Just relax your grip and let it fall to the floor. Guess what? You just let go. It’s as simple and quick and easy as that.

You relaxed your grip, and it went away. You didn’t have to fight it. You didn’t have to push it. You didn’t have to analyze what was going to happen to it. You didn’t have to think about how it got there or who is to blame. All you had to do, was let go.

It’s really very effortless. And letting go of your negative, toxic, limiting emotions is just as easy. Instead of maintaining all that energy that’s required to wrap yourself around them, all you have to do is let go. Instead of focusing and obsessing over what made you so resentful, or who’s at fault, or how unfair it is, just let go of all that. Release it and allow gravity to naturally pull it away from you.