This is a hard one, y’all.
A lot of us have a problem with this particular aspect of life. There are SO MANY things we want to hold onto in this life…that we don’t seem to want to let go of, for whatever reason. Things. Hurts. Memories. Feelings. The Past. People. Habits…
And there are a million reasons why any one of those categories present a deeply emotional and sometimes, physical, challenge.
It’s not an easy thing to do. And we will do all SORTS of things to avoid letting go.
We make excuses. “It’s just not the right time…”
We rationalize. “As long as it’s not hurting anyone, it’s not a problem.”
We avoid. “I can’t recognize the roadblock if I don’t acknowledge its existence…” (I’m REALLY good at that one.)
But the thing about that is…is that the exact “thing” we so desperately want to hang onto…is sometimes the exact “thing” that prevents us from moving forward.
And without forward motion, it’s easy to feel adrift, purposeless, stuck, and powerless.
So, when you find yourself stagnant, anchored down by the heavy weight of your own grip, what can you do to turn it around? To initiate movement? To begin the process of a positive move forward?
This is what I’ve come to realize in my life. There are certain things I have to do before I’m able to be strong enough to look ahead and take that leap of faith.
Face it.
Acknowledge it.
Admit the underlying issue (at least to myself).
Determine my course of action.
Grieve it (if I must).
Allow myself to ACCEPT it.
And then?
Do the next right thing. (DTNRT).
It took me a long while to realize I had been pushing down fear for so many years, I didn’t know how to let it out. I wasn’t equipped.
And the thing was, I KNEW the fear was in there. I KNEW it had ahold of me. I had been writing about fear for quite some time. I just didn’t realize how far it went back, how much strength I had been using to keep the lid on, or the power it exerted over my life.
That quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt, “There’s nothing to fear, but fear itself” has never been so true. But UNDERSTANDING that, doesn’t make it any less scary.
It’s scary to face your fears. It’s frightening to step off into the unknown.
But yet, there is so much truth in that statement.
So many times, I have felt a magical “lifting” of the heavy weight of fear, just by allowing myself to acknowledge it.
Just yesterday, I finally made a phone call to handle a certain issue that’s been worrying me for quite some time. A financial matter I’ve put off for months – because I was dreading hearing the answer, learning the outcome, and feeling that sick knot of stress form in my stomach that happens when unwelcome knowledge spawns new worries.
Instead, I learned that my primary concern was not even an issue. I got off the phone and sat there thinking about how much time I had allowed that particular worry to eat away at my well-being…how much lighter I felt just then and the precious store of mental health I had wasted by not acting sooner.
And today? Today I will allow myself to be vulnerable…to admit insecurities to a friend and ask for guidance, in order to keep my life moving in a healthy direction as I actively pursue a full and healthy life.
This one is hard. Maybe the hardest, because true friendship is precious, and although I know there is a need for a shift, and there will BE a shift, regardless, there’s a sense of grief involved, not knowing if the integrity of the closeness will remain or even survive.
But I DO know, for me, I HAVE to do this in order to “let go” of the inner turmoil I am feeling so that it doesn’t impede my efforts toward building a better self by becoming a speedbump later on down the road.
Don’t let fear win.
“There’s nothing to fear, but fear itself.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
#FaceTheFear #LivingWithIntention #LiveTheJourney #ImWorthIt