Challenge: Let Go

Hello there,
 
Thanks for visiting! Your audience is a gift to this blog and you are a gift to this world.
 
Per reader request, I’m continuing mixing things up with challenges- shorter articles for you to enjoy still offering value. These challenges are things you can do at home, work, on the bus and more. 

​As the title suggests, today’s challenge is letting go. There are lots of resources for letting go like this one about letting go of stories you’ve written for yourself, this Tedx video about letting go of unhealthy people or this article about freeing yourself of personal possessions.
 
Holding on to things or assigning them power tethers us to the past. When we host anger, betrayal, heartbreak or loss we are unable to move forward physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. 

"Holding on to things or assigning them power tethers us to the past. When we host anger, betrayal, heartbreak or loss we are unable to move forward physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually." 

Below is a brainstorm of experiences I challenge you to let go of. Pick one or come up with your own and work towards moving forward this next month. These types of things can hold you back, obscure your vision or otherwise stop you from living to your most full potential.    

• When someone has hurt you and you’re unable to forgive them
• When you’ve lost an irreplaceable possession
• When you have far too much on your plate, are unable to admit/recognize it and continue shoveling it down. I’m speaking metaphorically but I’m also keeping this in mind for when I eat freshly baked thin crust pizza
• When someone made you angry and you weren’t able or allowed to express it
• When you’ve made a mistake and let the experience convince you that you are the mistake
• When you’ve acquired a decade’s worth of computer files consuming coveted hard drive space
• When you’ve acquired a decade’s worth of paper files consuming coveted cabinet space
• When you’ve acquired a decade’s worth of storage boxes consuming coveted attic space aka prime spider web real estate
• When someone meaningful left you behind: breakup, moved on/away, death
• When you’ve written scripts and stories for yourself justifying your way of life or actions
• When someone else has written these scripts or stories for you without your consent
• When someone said something foul towards you and you took it personally
• When someone said something foul about you behind your back
• When you’ve adopted a belief or perspective limiting you from success
• When you can’t bring yourself to:
  • Delete those pictures of you and your ex on that one backpacking trip where you encountered a deer in the forest and your hair looked flawless even though you hadn’t showered in two days
  • Recycle that Danish cookie tin that “could one day serve a greater purpose,” greater than cutely housing old Crayola markers whose ink has dried up
  • Donate the collection of “Staff” t-shirts you got for volunteering years ago and would never wear around the fashion police, or real police for that matter
  • Unsubscribe from that email distribution list that was supposed to be weekly but is actually daily, hoping one day they’ll send coupons
• When you have that one friend you adore yet negatively impacts your wellbeing
• When people have written hurtful words or labels on your heart
• When your safety net, second choice love interest keeps texting you with hope; hope you’re spoon feeding them, let’s be real
• When your desire for perfection prohibits you from experiencing joy, love or contentment
• When you want so badly to have a movie star, sculpted body and you sacrifice body kindness for control
• When you accidentally signed up to volunteer with two different organizations and keep ignoring your calendar reminder that truly is looking out for you when it says you can’t be in two places at once
• When you assumed you weren’t smart enough, strong enough, brave enough, qualified enough, charismatic enough, tall enough, toned enough, powerful enough, masculine enough, feminine enough, resourceful enough or any other version of ENOUGH
• When you heard someone snicker while you shared your story and decided not to share anymore
• When you believed things would never change; you would never change
• When you’ve been writing a blog for your company website and struggle with it never being as engaging/thoughtful/resourceful/encouraging/hub-of-all-things-awesome as you want it to be. I’ll admit this one’s really for me!
• When you read this list and believed all these examples were too difficult for you. Pro tip: nothing is beyond your reach!

I understand letting go is challenging, frustrating and painful. I can sit here and tell you to surrender to the forces of the universe or provide support but ultimately you’re the only person who can decide you can do it.
 
Letting go is a process and skill, one you can learn. Start small, ease your way into it, practice letting go and finally step up to the plate and hit a home run. No worries if you hit the ball over the fence! At this point you’ve already learned to let go of earthly possessions.
 
Thank you for reading. I wish you luck in your endeavors.
 
Sending my best,
Christopher Belisle at SCTF
 
P.S. I couldn’t help myself from posting this video. Forgive me…

Bonus Content: