Let It Be, Go and Come

We’ve all said it, “let it go.” And then proceed to hold on tight as ever. We can’t “let go” of our circumstances, difficult people, a pandemic. In Abby’s case, she can’t let go of her tennis ball after I throw it which is why I carry three balls. When she sees me ready to throw the next one, she’ll let go of the one so she can pursue the other. So many of the things that we cling to, try to control that we can’t, end up controlling us.

When we shift our focus on what we can control – our perspective, imagination, attitude and outlook – letting go is possible.

There are a few more steps in the process of letting go. Letting it be and letting it come. Letting it be allows us to stop, quiet the noise so we can get a full perspective to determine if “it” is in our control or not. If yes, then it’s time to proactively respond and develop a plan on what to do that will make a difference. If no, then it’s time to lay it down and let it go for good. No returning, no more controlling our time and attention. For the letting go to stick, we need to fill the open space with what will come. Anticipation, preparation and planning for what’s next shifts our attention to what can come if we allow it to.

We choose familiarity over change. Our fear of change keeps us stuck in old thinking and in situations we should have left a long time ago. We make change hard by assuming that it’s not going to be good. Change is not only inevitable, it’s required for growth and fruition. When change stops, so do we.

If we “let it be” long enough to gain clarity and work on what we can, we can move onto “letting it go” followed by moving on. Let it be, go and come. There’s always going to be a new ball to chase when we are ready to lay the old one down.