Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Let Go

     There are a lot of things we will need to let go of throughout our lives.  These things may be thoughts, ideas, beliefs, material objects, and even people. Sometimes God will remove these things for us and sometimes we need to release them ourselves.  If you have something in your life that no longer serves you, release it so you may be free and God can give you something better.
     First, I would like to discuss releasing material objects that no longer serve you.  As someone who has moved multiple times, I can tell you one of the many times you will appreciate not holding onto things that no longer serve you will be the days surrounding moving day. Not only will you be packing and unpacking less, but you or the moving company will have less boxes which means not only easier on someone's back, but easier on your budget when it comes to the size of the moving truck and the moving help if you hire someone to help you unload the truck.
     In the book by Marie Kondo, "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing", she talks about if something no longer gives you joy, you should discard it.  Just a quick side note: No you can't get rid of your vacuum if you dislike running it.  Lol.  Although you may not enjoy using it, it does give you a clean home which leads to joy.  If within your means, you can get a new vacuum you prefer to use over your current one.  The same thing applies to other cleaning items and cooking supplies.
     I realize some things have sentimental value. Marie Kondo states in her book, if someone has given you a gift, but you have no intention of using it, it has already served its purpose and you can discard it. She states that it served its purpose to bring you joy when the gift was given to you, as it was the thought behind it, not the actual gift. Thrift stores welcome things in good condition which no longer give you joy.  I am sure there are a lot of moms out there with tons of kids' pictures and other things. When my girls were younger I would take a picture of their drawings or gifts to me and keep them in a digital file. It takes up very little room on a computer and when I get old my children won't have to go through the multiple drawers of cards and pictures from multiple children like I did when my Mom moved into a senior complex.  I continue to keep their pictures/drawings on digital files even now.
     Sometimes we will have to let go of beliefs that limit us.  These beliefs may be part of a religion we grew up in or may be a result of society's conditioning.  If they limit our thinking in any way, including limiting our ability to believe we can achieve anything we desire, we must release those beliefs.   They are not serving us, and therefore should not be part of our lives.  This can be a difficult process and is definitely one that requires reflection about what you believe, what you know, and what you think you know but are actually unsure of.  Just like beliefs that no longer serve us, if we have any self-defeating ideas or thoughts, we must release them as well.  We must silence the voice in our head as well as the voices of others who tell us we cannot succeed.  Only joy should be allowed in our lives, which means releasing self defeating thoughts or ideas.
     Occasionally an idea that is good in one moment, may down the line no longer be good for us.  We must periodically evaluate our lives and see if an adjustment needs to be made in our path.  This does not mean we made an original bad decision (although that may be the case on rare occasions).  It just means the situations has changed, such as life does, and the original idea is no longer serving us, so we must release or adapt the original idea.
     Finally, I would like to discuss letting go of people.  Again, sometimes God will remove the people from our lives who are not for our greatest good.  Often, we will have to remove these people from our lives ourselves as part of our learning process.  This is hardest when the people we must let go of for our own emotional and mental health are family, close or long time friends, or romantic partners.  If the people in your life are constantly belittling you or making you feel worthless, useless, or anything less than the wonderful person you are, you must limit your  time with them considerably and have a conversation with them about how their comments make you feel.  If they can't change their comments and continue to have negative, demeaning things to say about you, it may be time to remove them for your lives completely. While this is harder with family members because society tries to tell us we have to put up with bad behavior from family, it is still doable.  Setting boundaries with family members and removing them from your life when necessary can actually help you find people in your life to call family.  Family of origin is not the only definition of family.  If you look for it and allow it, you can find friends who will be like family, possibly even more supportive than family depending on the situation.
     Finding true friends and healthy romantic partners can be a challenge for some people.  If you keep you life positive, again keeping only what brings you joy, finding true friends and romantic partners will be easier.  This is not to say it will be a quick process, but definitely an easier one.When we stop trying to find what other people think is right for us, and focus on how we feel when interacting with a certain person, then we will intuitively know who should and should not be in our lives as part of our inner circle.  Sometimes people fit in our lives/circle for a while, but then we change (hopefully through personal growth), they change, or both people change and that person may not fit well with us any more.  This does not mean the person is now a bad person, you both may have just served your purpose in one another's lives and it's time for you both to move on.  When you let go in situations like these, it can be difficult and filled with tough emotions, but as you follow your intuition and guidance from the Angels, you will be Divinely supported and will receive blessing after you release the person.   Allow yourself to release any fears of loneliness or financial insecurities that may be holding you hostage in an unhealthy relationship.  Again, as you focus on what is best for your greatest good, you will be divinely supported and guided.
     Whether you are releasing ideas, thoughts, beliefs, material objects, or people, letting go allows God to give you even better things and people in your life.  God does not interfere with free will, so you have to make the choice to let go of what doesn't serve you.  Depending on what, who, and how much you let go, there may even be a party to celebrate your independence in the Spirit World/Heaven.  Lol.  God and the Angels have more and better waiting for you than anything you can imagine, so let go of what and who no longer serves you and welcome in the blessings waiting for you.
Love & Light,
Margaret Phillips