Holding On, Letting Go

Sunday, May 22, 2011 / Blog, Motivation To Change

Have you ever had an experience where you were holding onto something when it was time to let go? Perhaps you want to make a change but are finding it difficult to let go of a familiar habit or way of life. One of the biggest obstacles to change is the uncertainty that we experience as we let go of something familiar and reach for something that feels uncertain. It is only when we are highly motivated to remove ourself from a situation that feels very difficult or when we want something very badly that we are willing to tolerate the discomfort of change.

This song entitled HOLDING ON, LETTING GO, speaks to the challenge of change.

What if, however, we found another way to look at life? What if we were willing to embrace both holding on and letting go at the same time? What if the experiences of our life were neither “good” or “bad” but simply part of the tapestry we were creating as we grow. In my experience, many situations that were difficult in the moment offered amazing gifts or a valuable piece of learning down the road. As I get older I have more and more faith that this will always be the case. I am more willing to let go of the things in my life that aren’t working with a strong belief that something different and wonderful will come as a result. Rather than having a dualistic view of life where things are either good or bad, strong or weak, helpful or harmful etc, I now am trying to embrace the concept offered by contemplative prayer authors such as Richard Rohr that we need to embrace both sides of life at the same time. Rather than push change away, it is possible to simply embrace all the experiences of our life, whatever they are, with hope.