Have you ever noticed how you feel when someone tells you to “let it go?”
Try telling a child who is frustrated, angry or throwing a temper tantrum to “let it go” and see what happens.
There is something really powerful about these three words. Something that resonates with all of us or should I say, most of us when we hear these words spoken. There is a reason why the song “Let it Go” in the 2013 movie Frozen has gotten roughly 184 million hits on Youtube. Children of all ages love to sing this song, but why?
Perhaps it is because there is something we all know as truth and when we hear it, we suddenly feel a sense of calm and peace in our hearts and minds.
I think that most of us have heard something along the lines of... “When you allow yourself to really let go and stop trying to control the outcome of how you want things to be, things will just naturally begin to unfold and change for the better.” As much as I believe this, I still struggle with letting go. I struggle because uncertainty and feeling powerless can feel scary, uncomfortable, and extremely vulnerable.
Sometimes all I want (or my ego wants) to do is hold on tighter, react, overreact, speak my mind, justify, blame, convince, control. Anything to keep me from having to let go and rest in a place of simply being.
The difference between letting go and letting be is that there is a certain action involved with letting go, whereas, letting be is an openness and acceptance to just allow things to be as they are.
The next time that you feel yourself struggling with something internally or battling with your ego who wants to be right and whispers to you that your pride is more important than anything else...try telling yourself (and your ego) to let go and let be.
When we surrender and choose acceptance, we allow and make space for things to be just as they are. We live in the present and the outcome is the only one that really matters for the here and now- liberation, peace of mind, and trust that the universe IS working in your favor EVEN when it doesn't feel as though it is.
Think of letting go as your life saver and keep swimming through the waves.