Why let go?

​​Dear Why Team member,
I hope this week’s message finds you well. This week we consider another key for unlocking more of our dormant potential.

Why let go?

Audio:

-

-

When we hold on too tightly to whatever comes our way, letting go can become quite difficult. Many years ago, I read five words that have led to many years of contemplation:
“We Suffer For Our Attachments”
Why is this insight a key for unlocking more potential? Because the more we hold on to the old, the less we are able to receive the new.
Why let go of more? To receive more.

I once had partial ownership in a very nice Florida vacation property. My family made many great memories there over about a five-year period, but the time had come to let it go.
I distinctly remember being on a business flight, wondering why it had become difficult to let go of this vacation property. Of course, we had come to love it, but we didn’t need to keep it to preserve all of our memories. So, I considered looking at my attachment to it differently. Since my home is in Ohio, this Florida property was really only enjoyed for the short periods we were there. Since the majority of my life was not lived in Florida, I was paying monthly to maintain a thought. Sure, making the payments gave me access to the property, and it was nice to think about, but was the time actually enjoying the property worth the monthly thoughts and money to maintain it? It was also limiting our vacation potential; since we were paying for the place, we felt in a way obliged to go there every vacation. We humans often don’t change until we perceive that the pain of change will be less than the pain of maintaining the status quo.
Thinking differently about my place in Florida, helped me to let go of it, which opened up my life to new possibilities.

There is a saying that the more we own, the more it owns us. It requires both physical and mental energy, to hold onto all of our stuff and all of our ideas. It can be very freeing and invigorating to simply let go. The clinched hand that holds cannot receive as well as the open hand that had just let go. Letting go of what does not serve us, can set us free to engage more with that which will serve us.

I invite you to take a moment to think of your attachments and how they serve or fail to serve your highest aspirations.

A common approach to mountain climbing is to hike up to a base camp with all your gear, camp overnight, and then to leave most of your gear behind on the day you climb to the summit. The lighter load makes reaching the summit more possible.

Consider a rocket launched into space. The initial booster that was needed to help break the Rocket free of gravity must now be jettisoned if the Rocket is to accomplish its mission.

This week, consider how a lighter load may make it more possible for you to reach new summits. Consider what you might need to jettison from your life to go higher and/or farther. How may letting go - be a key - to help you unlock more freedom and lighten the load you carry on your life’s journey. Let go of more, to become more, for yourself and for others.

Make it a great week!

Thank you!

Steve Luckenbach