Week 1: Letting Go Of Control

We’ve all heard someone say, “just let go.” If you find yourself doing a massive eye roll every time you hear this, you aren’t alone.

Why? Because of all the obstacles that people face, letting go of control and trusting the process of life can be a difficult one for people to accept.

Think back to a time when you weren’t in control. How did it feel?

Most often, we know that letting go of control is best for us, but our egos or anxiety get in the way. 

Here lies the problem… the more we try to control things, the less control we actually have. We believe that taking control will bring us security and happiness, yet its overuse causes unhappiness, anxiety, and sadness.

As humans, we are always trying to control our environments, but we forget that the only person that we have control over is ourselves.

Here are a few questions that could help you relinquish control:

What am I afraid will happen if I let go of control?

When you pinpoint the fear, question its validity. Ask yourself, Is it true? If you’re afraid the night will be ruined if your boyfriend doesn’t remember to pick up portobello mushrooms (and you’ve already reminded him six times), question that assumption.

Can you really know the night would be ruined without the mushrooms? And if it would be ruined (by your definition, anyway), what’s so bad about that?

Mind Yo’ Business 

Your business is the realm of things that you can directly influence. Are you there? Or are you in someone else’s business? When we’re trying to control things outside of our own business, it’s not going to go well. How does it affect you?

Consider this: Would letting go feel like freedom?

It almost always would. Let that feeling of freedom guide you toward loosening your grip.

Being receptive and allowing things to happen is a skill that can be practiced and improved upon. It helps to believe in a friendly universe—one that is supporting you at every turn so that you don’t have to worry yourself over the details.

There’s a big difference between manifesting and focusing on your intentions rather than having set in stone goals or objectives. 

We tend to ask questions and generate “what-ifs” as an attempt to introduce some certainty when we’re uncomfortable with the unknown. But as we lean in, we can actually develop control over the worries. It makes it easier to let them go as they emerge, write them down for later, then returning our attention to what we were doing. 

When we are able to trust that we are okay no matter the circumstances, we open ourselves up to possibilities. These are possibilities that weren't there when we attached ourselves to what we deemed was the "right" path. Often times, the path we so desperately want to be on is not the most valuable or productive one.

Letting go of control means more joy, freedom, peace, connection and support. Let’s try it together.