What is the Powerful Significance Between Next Steps and Letting Go?

Here we are now. Spring is officially arriving this week. You may be sensing rumblings within as you notice nature changing around you. You might be poised and at the brink of wanting to take your next small step towards a new or current goal. You might also be feeling anxious, ambivalent, fearful, excited, ready or not. When I help others to organize and find balance during times of transition and change those next steps are crucial. Taking one tiny stride after another propels us ahead.

Over the 26 plus years I’ve been organizing, I’ve observed that the critical ingredient for next, as the condiment of life, is the ability to let go. Without releasing, there will be no forward movement. Letting go doesn’t happen overnight. We need to exercise our letting go muscles by starting small. This strengthens our tolerance while building confidence. It’s essential to release the “stuff” of life (physical and emotional) that won’t be useful to you on this part of your journey.  

Consider next steps and letting go as a beautiful, poignant dance between the heart, mind, and body.

As many of you know, I have a daily mindfulness meditation practice. I like to work with guided meditations led by various practitioners. One of the teachers I listen to on the Insight Timer app is Annemaree Rowley from Australia. One of my favorite teachings of hers is the “Letting Go Meditation.” At the end of the practice, she shares a profound poem by the poet, Erin Hanson about letting go. I love the message and I hope that it will also resonate with you.

I was the type of person,

That held onto things too tight,

Unable to release my grip,

When it no longer felt right,

And although it gave me blisters,

And my fingers would all ache,

I always thought that holding on,

Was worth the pain it takes.

I used to think in losing things,

I’d lose part of me too,

That slowly I’d become someone,

My heart no longer knew.

Then one day something happened,

I dropped what I had once held dear,

But my soul became much lighter,

Instead of filled with fear.

And it taught my heart that some things,

Aren’t meant to last for long,

They arrive to teach you lessons,

And then continue on.

You don’t have to cling to people,

Who no longer make you smile,

Or do something you’ve come to hate,

If it isn’t worth your while.

That sometimes the thing you’re fighting for,

Isn’t worth the cost,

And not everything you ever lose,

Is bound to be a loss.

- e.h.

What have you experienced about next steps and letting go? Did any phrases from Erin Hanson’s poem spark an idea? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.