Do you often find yourself constantly trying to choose between holding on and letting go? Often in our daily lives, we come across situations where we need to make a choice – should we just hang in there? Should we immerse ourselves in the situation completely? Well, it is a tough call, isn’t it?
Jalal-al-Din Rumi, a celebrated Persian poet and philosopher once said, “life is a balance of holding on and letting go”. But, funnily enough, most of us can’t claim to have mastered the art of either letting go or holding on, despite being compelled to make this choice regularly.
For example, when you have an unpleasant work encounter how would you react? Most people’s first impulse would be to talk to other colleagues about it, which would spark yet another chain of ‘take action or let go’ triggers.
Similarly, let’s say, you have a business idea and you pitch this idea to your friends, some would say hold on to it, this idea is pathbreaking, and the others would say, the idea is not pragmatic and that it is better that you let go.
Whether it is your personal life or professional life, you always have a choice to make, and the more you ask people, the more you get confused. This doesn’t mean you should never consult people before making decisions, it just that everyone has different perspectives.
Therefore, sometimes when you are in a dilemma and don’t know whether you should ‘Hold on or let go”, there is only one person who will be able to give you the right direction – Your own self!
Here’s a little story that may give you some insights about when to hold on and when to let go.
There was a young woman who aspired to become a painter. All her friends went on to become Analysts, consultants, and Accountants in prominent organizations while she chose her own path of creativity. She knew colors brought her happiness and wanted to capitalize on her passion. However, she often had people tell her that her career choice isn’t stable, she wouldn’t be earning enough, there wouldn’t be a steady flow of income and a host of other negative outcomes. Out of all the voices, she chose to listen to just one voice – her own. She believed in herself and knew she would make it big with her art and eventually, the young woman went on to become a sought-after artist.
She chose to let go of all the skeptical advice and hold on to her belief and positive attitude, which made all the difference.
Often psychological studies have shown that people who choose to let go of their negative emotions live a much more happy and satisfactory life. They are healthy – emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Allison Ledgerwood, a well-known social psychologist states that when you start letting go of what doesn’t make you feel good, you are rewiring your brain to function optimistically and efficiently.
Essentially, this sums up to just one thing – hold on to everything that makes you feel good, confident, and happy and let go of things that makes you feel angry, pessimistic, and weak.
Trust your intuition and you’re likely to be your own voice of reason.
