TIME is my Word of the Year and as I reflect on what this means to me, I realise that there comes a TIME in our life where we need to live authentically. We need to let go, accept what has been and move forward to live well, be happy and contented.
I recently shared my WOTY and how I wanted to use my TIME wisely in this New Year. However, if I continue to hold on to those things that hold me back in life, I’m wasting my TIME and missing out on living well and enjoying the joyous moments life brings.
Happiness is the theme for the month and experience has taught me that unless I let go of things that hold me back and accept what has been, I am unable to move forward and find happiness.
Do you ever feel like something is holding you back from actually getting on with life?
Something gnawing away at the back of your mind or in your heart that just won’t let you go?
Something or someone holding you back from happiness?
Most of us at some time in our life need to go through the process of letting go. It might be letting go of
- our limiting beliefs and inner critic,
- a loved one who has passed away,
- a toxic relationship
- the negativity in our life.
Finding happiness by letting go
We all have dreams and want to move forward with our lives but until we fully let go of what is holding us back, we will stay in the same place.
- Sometimes letting go can be painful or requires change and that is why we resist it.
- Sometimes our limiting beliefs learned early on in life are holding us back from finding happiness and contentment
- Perhaps we feel guilty ‘letting go’ of a loved one who has died, because we fear with time our memories of them will fade, or we don’t want to face the finality.
- Perhaps we are harbouring resentment and bitterness which is twisting us up inside and preventing us from being happy.
- Perhaps we fear the future or change and so reluctantly hold on to something which is not healthy for our mental and spiritual health.
- Perhaps we have been taught not to give up but sometimes we need to walk away from unhealthy relationships no matter how hard it may be.
Until we accept what is holding us back and make the decision to ‘let go’ we will never move forward. We will never feel happy and contented
Sue Loncaric, Women Living Well After 50
6 Reasons it’s TIME to Let Go, Accept & Move Forward
There are many benefits to letting go.
1. Improved mental & physical state
Once you let go you immediately feel a load has been lifted from your shoulders. You feel lighter in body and mind. The cloud hanging over you has gone.
2. Positivity
Letting go and accepting paves the way for a positive future with new possibilities
3. You deserve to be happy
You will never be happy if you are holding resentment, or trying to hold onto something that is no longer there. You deserve happiness in life and ‘letting go’ is the start to a new and exciting future.
4. No Regrets
Research has shown that living without regrets may be a key to healthy aging http://www.livescience.com/19788-regrets-healthy-aging.html
5. Less stress and anxiety
When you let go and accept you feel less stressed and anxious. Your blood pressure lowers and your immune system improves.
6. Improved self-esteem
You have made a decision and can now move forward in your life. You had the courage to take that decision even though it may have been frightening or painful.
Do you have something that you need to let go of in order to live well, find happiness and contentment? Share with me and perhaps I can help.
13 Comments
Hi, Sue – Thanks for this important reminder. Letting go is the first step to moving forward. Wishing you a wonderful year ahead with lots of TIME spent with those you love.
Letting go certainly isn’t easy, Donna but I am finding it easy as I get older. Thank you for your good wishes and I appreciate your constant friendship and support. xx
Wise words here Sue. Letting go of things is a very important step but not always easy to do. Time well spent is paramount to making us happy and your WOTY will be a great way of looking at how best we can use our time. Thanks for sharing these ways of moving on.
Hi Deb, I agree it isn’t easy to let go and I still have some work to do in a couple of areas of my life. I’m so pleased I chose TIME for my WOTY. It has provided endless possibilities to improve my life. xx
An excellent reminder. I find I’m stuck in some negative thought patterns at the moment and trying to turn some of those around bit by bit just so I can see past them. It’s a process though.
Hi Jo, yes it is definitely a process and like you I can easily get stuck in negative thought patterns and fall into a hole. Taking the approach of ‘bit by bit’ may be slower but it certainly works in the long run. Take care and always here if you need a chat. xx
Hi Sue – letting go has been a big focus for me over the last decade or so – especially when it comes to long held beliefs, people pleasing, perfectionism and so much more. I’ve also learned to process and then let go of old hurts and expectations – I don’t hold out for karma, I just want to forgive and move on. Life is short and I want all my TIME to be spent on people I love and living a life I love. Thanks for the reminder. x
I think letting go is a huge part of midlife and beyond, Leanne. We reach a stage in life where we just need to move on otherwise we miss out on so many of the joys of life. x
Thanks for a wonderful and important post, Sue! I’m the one who’s been holding me back, by self-doubt and negative thoughts. I still struggle with it but since some year back I’m working on letting go of the self-doubt and especially since last year I’m finally able to make some changes and to believe in myself. (mostly, it’s constant work)
Hello Susanne, I love helping others and whilst I’m not an expert, I share my own experiences which hopefully will inspire others. Letting go and self-doubt I feel are two of the biggest issues that we face as we move through life and agree it is constant work. I’m constantly working on my self-doubt and it can get tiresome but the more work you do the easier it finally becomes. Maybe it is an age thing as well, at 65 I’m finally starting to just live life because you never know how much time you have left to enjoy it. Take care xx
Very positive inspiration for many here Sue and you sure know what’s to be done and experienced to live well, and be happy. Not always easy for me (and others I guess) and I have an inner critic for some parts of my life…and I am working on that through my self compassion app and via my daily meditation practice. Great to have your blog shared on Wednesday’s Words and Pics this week. Thank you so much for your support. I hope to see you next week too. Denyse.
I’m the same, Denyse. The inner critic is always there and whilst I have had success in overcoming her there are times when she can get the better of me. I think we all go through this process if we are honest with ourselves. x
Hi Sue, Happy New Year. This is a great reminder as we start a New Year to reflect on our lives and consider what we need to ‘let go’. I definitely need to let go of people pleasing but find it a real struggle. I like Jo’s advice of ‘bit by bit’. I shall just keep chipping away at this issue. Thank you for sharing