Journey of Change 2: Letting Go

I don’t know about you, but once I’m ready to commit to change, I move forward with self-assuredness and determination. But I also have a tendency to hugely underestimate the amount of time and resources the process of change will take. Turns out, the process of painting my office was no exception! Seems change requires more time, energy, and resources then we tend to initially expect.

Here’s how it began… With eternal gratitude, my friends and family showed up to support the renovation. My joyful sister Elke Levanites, BFF Adrienne Cocita and her husband Tony, and beloved husband Ray Nowicki turned the painting into a party!

All gathered, looked around, and took a collective “let the renovation begin” breath. Before change can occur, it was time to dismantle the old. You can’t just paint around furniture, fixtures, and curtains. Everything has to be prepped, moved, removed, covered, and taped. Whew!

The Importance of Letting Go

I have always loved books, and my stuffed to overflowing bookshelf is a tribute to the authors I adore and the stories that inspired my soul. My first job was to sort through the bookshelves and let go of the old books.

Why? Because inside I knew the vision of my new office did not contain a library of old books. The books were a definition of who I was, including my past interests, joys, wounds, sorrows, and expectations. As much as I adore the authors who shared their hope and inspiration, the books represented a person I once was but no longer am. I am a person living a higher consciousness life, and books written in the past no longer hold my answers. As beautiful as that portion of my life was, it was time to let go of the past and boldly embrace the new life I have worked so hard to attain.

I wasn’t clinging to the past, but I do recognize that as beautiful as my books are, they kept an old world alive. In some ways, they carried heaviness of the past with them. I have read every book on my bookshelf, but not recently. I held onto them thinking that one day I might pick one up, reread a beloved author, or go back into a section of a book as a reference. But that hasn’t happened.

A new stage in my life is taking shape, ready to establish its sovereignty on Earth. Karen Kingston, in Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui summed up my perception of letting go when she wrote, “Holding on to old books doesn’t allow you to create space for new ideas and ways of thinking to come into your life.”  

One by one, I sorted through my books, and did the inconceivable. I set my books free. I stacked them into “to go” piles while Adrienne carried an endless parade of books to her minivan. The plan was to donate all the books to the local library. Yet each book carried beautiful memories and serenity, and it was difficult to let them all go. I managed to release about 80% of the books, and the rest are currently stacked in temporary plastic bins. When the painting is complete, yes, I will go back through the remaining collection them and release more.  

What Do You Need to Release?

Is it time in your life to let go of something and move forward into something new? Is it time to let go, even if what you are letting go of is familiar, comforting, and known?

Dr. Susanna McMahon, in her book, The Portable Therapist, writes, “Letting of our past may seem impossible. How can we let go of something that is so much a part of us? And why let the past go? Aren’t we what we are because of our past lives?”

Each of us reaches a place in our lives when we can no longer grow within the confines of our former identity. We have become more than our past. Like a caterpillar waiting to emerge as a butterfly, the cocoon must be shed before we can set ourselves free to begin life differently.

•  What are you holding onto that you know is not right for you anymore? 
• What big change are you avoiding?
•  Are you feeling more comfort in unhappy familiarity rather than delving into unknown territories?
•  What change of direction would bring about more satisfaction?

Holding onto to something outgrown from the past will weigh you down and keep you from flying into greater heights of success.

Today’s Invitation: Let it go, move on, and build something new. You’ll be glad you did. 

P.S. If you’re going through change yourself, or if you have any helpful inspiration, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. Your insights may be just the light of hope or help that someone else is searching for.

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Tagged as: conscious transformation, creating change, personal growth, pesonal development, self help, self improvement, your highest potential