How do you know when to let go?

‘Dare to let go and see where Life takes you.’ Freja ♥

Have you ever heard the expression, ‘Let go and let God’? It’s a great mantra for dealing with any persistent problem. It is one of the best pieces of advice I have ever heard and possibly the hardest to follow! The idea behind the saying is that sometimes our will gets in the way of us achieving what we want. Sometimes we need to ‘hand it over’ to the will of some higher power – God, The Universe, Great Spirit, Life – whatever you believe in.

A good indicator of needing to let go seems to be a high level of fear. If you are terrified of what will happen if you do ‘hand it over’ to the Gods you can be sure that it is time to do just that. Fear is the enemy of change, yet it is what is often sitting there in the driving seat when we face a big change. So we hold on, for dear life. Other good indicators are that you have tried your best – and done all that you can. Or you have to make a decision today. So make it and let Life take care of the rest. Or you can’t go on any more. Or it feels like ‘it’ just isn’t working. Doors keep closing. Or you really know that you want/need, you have put in an offer or stood up for yourself and now it is down to someone else. You can’t control other people. Do your bit then let go of the outcome.

One thing you can be sure of is that even when things go ‘wrong’ – i.e. not the way we would like them to, or expected them to, it is Life trying to guide us. Maybe Life has a better idea we are not yet aware of. We are by nature resistant creatures. Life gives us little wake up calls. If they are not heard, or are dogmatically ignored, then Life’s Little Messages get louder and louder until eventually the rug is pulled from beneath our feet. As we fall, we grab the branch and refuse to let go… shouting ‘If I let go I will DIE!!’

So, what does letting go actually entail? It requires you to trust Life to take care of you. Trust things will work out for the ultimate good of all concerned. Trust that a solution will follow, a decision will be made by either you or another, at the right time. Trust that you won’t die from not getting that job, lover, house or money – even if things get tough – that you will get what you need just as soon as you need it – even if it isn’t in the way that you imagine. It means trusting that Life is working on your behalf to make you happy and to meet your needs and once you have done your bit, you just need to step out of the way so the Universe can do the rest. That’s the hard bit. That’s the magical bit.

And what happens when you do finally let go? Well, one friend finally decided to take a risk and move into a bigger rented room and trust that his less desirable room would be filled so he wouldn’t have to pay for both rooms. He decided to go ahead and trust. Within a couple of days someone fantastic took his old room. No one had been interested until then… Someone else had all but run out of money and had huge debts to pay. After 5 job interviews with no job offer she decided to return home to France (her work is here in England) and trust the money would come somehow. A couple of hours after she told me her decision, she called to say she’d been offered a job…

And my story? Well I am still waiting to see what happens now I have finally let go of being a school teacher. We shall have to wait and see. All I do know is that I feel a peace that I haven’t felt in ages. And I can’t wait to see what unfolds! 

by Freja ♥  © June 2007