Letting go is one of the hardest things we learn to do as human beings. I never understood just how hard it is to let go, especially of the things that don’t serve us anymore. Mainly because most of the time, it is those very things, we believe we can’t live without. We convince ourselves that the job we have is our dream job, or the person we are dating is our soul mate, sometimes we even convince ourselves that life is perfect and that the picture we have formed in our heads is what we always wanted.
But life has a funny way of exposing us to our lies, and on that day you will feel like everything has fallen apart. Because you won’t understand how everything that seemed so important to you at one moment and gave you so much happiness, is now suddenly the reason for your sadness.
That is the day you finally wake up.
Waking Up
People are starting to realize that there is much more to life than just sticking to a schedule. There is a lot of emotional and spiritual unrest and people are now seeking answers in places and people they never even ever considered.
Man has realized the importance of going inward. That itself is a huge step and can bring to the surface all that we have been repressing for years. Conditioning is slowly falling apart, and people are feeling lost.
We all have this idea that awakening is a beautiful and easy process. But the truth is, there is nothing more painful than taking yourself apart. It will leave you shattered for a while. The transition is never easy, yet it is at this crucial time, we must stay strong and never lose sight of what’s important.
We need to realize as human beings that we are not alone in this. That these feelings can happen to anyone. Instead of hiding from them, we must collectively support each other.
Attachment
We live in a material world, so attachment is second nature to us. But it is this very nature that prevents us from living life to the fullest. We cling to our old ways of thinking, old habits and relationships, only to find that all we have been doing is living in a standstill. It is a scary thing to start asking questions because when we look a little deeper for the answers, we tend to realize that we don’t like what we are hearing.
Anger and Fear
Then come the anger and fear. Why did you start questioning things? Everything was going fine. Life may not have been perfect but at least it was bearable and you had control. You knew how to handle it. Now the pain becomes unbearable because nothing seems to satisfy the soul. The purpose of life seems to be diminishing. And the worst part is that you don’t know what to do to make yourself feel better. How do you put the pieces back together, when you have forgotten what the picture looks like?
Depression
Depression sinks in. At this stage, your chest feels so heavy. You can’t imagine life without XYZ or going to that job and staring at that computer screen. Even going out does not seem so intriguing anymore, everyone talks about the same things and has the same problems that they never get around to fixing. And you never realized this before either, but everyone seems very happy with their misery, with their eyes blinded and minds closed.
Why can’t I be like everyone else?
They seem so happy and content with their lives. Working at a nine to five job and having an occasional drink with friends, watching the latest movie and doing other things that all once felt important to you too.
Letting Go
Letting go of the idea in your head meant you had to face life for what it really is, temporary. And I can tell you this; it is the scariest feeling in the world.
Yet there is no other place I would rather be because just like life has a funny way of exposing your lies, it also has a funny way of showing you certain truths. That may be the job you had was not going to help you grow, or the person you thought you loved with all your heart was more out of comfort than the real deal, and maybe those social outings were just a way to numb all your passion and desire for the things that really matter. Like maybe that dance form you really wanted to learn or that book you could have read that would have changed your life or the places you could visit. Maybe all those things that seemed so wonderful were not that wonderful after all.
But most of all, letting go gives you something that is even greater than anything it can ever take from you, and that is a relationship with yourself. When you start letting go and you stop clinging – you start accepting, you are leaving your problems to something much bigger than you. And that gives you the time to really figure out what you want, and not what the world wants you to be.
Moving Forward
Getting over fear can be a very hard thing to do. Letting go can make life seem unfair. There will be times of great trial and error, even days of complete defeat, but what counts is that you got up and handled it. You handled it in whatever way you could, but you handled it.
And I promise you this, letting go is so much better than living a lie. Rejoice in your truth, let it break you and make you a hundred times over. Let your pain transform you into someone compassionate, and let all the fear force you to be brave.
I want this to be a message to all the people out there trying to explore their truth. Don’t give up. The truth will set you free, but first, it will set you free of all that is holding you back. Keep breaking yourself, and when times get tough, remember that the difference between knowing and not knowing will determine the difference you make to this world and to yourself.
Don’t be afraid to fall apart. It gives you the chance to put yourself back together, the way you always wanted to.