I recently read a blogpost which had a list of things the author had learned to let go of (can't vouch for the blog itself as I only read that post)....But..it gave me pause and some good thinking points.
Source: flickr
Many ideas on the list are the typical things you would think of once you begin reading the list - such as, the need to be right, the need to prove myself, the belief that I'm not good enough, etc etc etc. I think most of us can resonate with nearly all of the items that were on that list, maybe not all presently, but probably all of them at one time or another in our life. Anyway, the list got me to thinking about what I need to let go of presently - yes, some are on the list - but I also wanted to think outside the list about what things are truly going on in MY life, where I may need to let go of something. (more after the break)
It didn't take long for me to think of one (or more). Recently I had mentioned something that I realized fit in with this idea of letting go.
I need to let go of the feeling (or fear) of missing out.
I've been slowly addressing this in round about ways, one good example that I've mentioned before is the weeding of my RSS list. Removing blogs and sites to cut down on that huge list that stares me down with hundreds of new articles/posts to read each day. But I was doing that more from a time management standpoint and wasn't really acknowledging the "what" that compels me to have 300+ feeds and not want to let them go. In large part it is this fear that I'm going to miss something.
What something?
I HAVE NO IDEA!!
Seriously.
It's just this deep seated vague feeling (but apparently a pretty strong feeling) that I might, possible, maybe miss something that might possibly sort of be relevant or useful.
I so need to get over that. It extends to other areas of my life too so I'm consciously evaluating my motives and working on letting go of this crazy 'fear' of missing out.
To be truly honest, there isn't much that is earth shattering in any realm that I seriously can't live just fine without and even if there was something that was really cool and useful ------ the earth won't come to a crashing halt if I don't see, hear, or read it.
WHEW! What a relief to know that! Right? It's like this huge weight off my shoulders - a freedom to be more single minded. More focused. And more INTENTIONAL. (which is a word that has come to me several times lately in different ways so I think I need to pay attention to that!)
Another little tidbit that came to me was this quote:
Alexander Graham Bell who said, “When one door closes, another door opens; but we so often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open.”
I've always, nearly always, been a glass half full person, I take after my father in being very pragmatic but I still find that I sometimes look at those closed doors far too long - even when I'm the one who closed them. Just to say that I know it's not easy, I don't expect that letting go of things, even when we embrace the idea behind it, will be easy. However, one thing I've learned is that just because you close a door doesn't mean it can never be re-opened. Most doors open both ways and you can go back to them. So I encourage you to consider what you might need to let go of - things, ideas, people, places...whatever. And then make the choice that YOU are worth it. Maybe you will need to let go of the idea that you aren't as important as other people, places, things.
Let me tell you - you are.
