Smart Women Know When To Let Go

Every day as I leave my house, I am drawn to a large tree across the street, with beautiful branches and leaves. For awhile now, it has been shedding its leaves. Yesterday I noticed for the first time that all of the leaves have fallen off, leaving the tree bare. Nature has a way of making room for new growth.

Our family is preparing for a big transition this week. We are moving from a house that we have lived in for 10 years. It’s the home where my husband Greg and I began our life together in marriage. It’s the only home our children, Jack and Jenna have ever known, so it holds a lot of memories that are valuable to us. It also holds a lot of other things! Things we have accumulated over the years that are not part of where we are going. We have a lot of possessions that are no longer a "fit" for us. I am finding it hard to let go. It can be challenging knowing what to keep and what to let go of. I’m not alone in this dilemma it seems. I read recently that the storage unit business is soaring as people accumulate more than they have space for and they cannot bring themselves to let go.

Letting go means saying goodbye. It could be moving, leaving a relationship, transitioning from one career to another, losing a loved one or returning to the workforce. Letting go of anything that has held value to you over the years is difficult. It can be so difficult that sometimes we stay exactly where we are---we don’t make the move, or leave the relationship, or begin a new journey to realize a big idea. We begin to rationalize why we don’t need to make changes. You say to yourself "it’s not so bad." "What was I thinking?" Change is challenging. Transitions can be tough. You need to make sure that you have the right support system around you during times of transition. (Thanks Deb!) Someone that knows how much this change means to you and can support you in letting go, so you can move on to the next phase of your journey.

How about you? Are you holding on to an old way of being? Are you staying where you are because it’s comfortable? Are you in a career or relationship that feels like it’s not a good fit for you? I had a very wise mentor tell me once that in order to grow you have to get "uncomfortable" in life. Well I can tell you that I’m uncomfortable! This has been a challenging few weeks for me! Have you been thinking about a big idea or a dream or goal that you would like to accomplish? For you to realize what’s next for you, you need to create the "open space" for this to happen. You need to "let go" of some things in your life in order to realize a new way to live, a new way to be. In my Women’s Success Circles, we create a very open environment where women can let go of what’s not working and take on something new that will work as they move ahead in their journey.

Spring is just around the corner. It’s a great time to "let go" of what is not working for you right now in your life and make room for what’s next. I invite you to take a look around. Is everything still a fit for you? Is there something that you could "let go" of in order to realize a dream, big idea, or goal?

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.nn*****