The best way to defy gravity, in our personal or our business lives, is to simply let go. When we let go of the beliefs that hold us back, that limit our thinking – we are open to new ways of thinking, doing and being.
Yet letting go is one of the hardest things we humans can do. It’s in our nature to hang on tightly to things that are safe, comfortable and make us feel good. Whether it’s our favorite belief or our favorite teddy bear – we like to hang on to what we know.
I’m having trouble letting go right now. As many of you know, I adopted an abused Mustang earlier this year. Maverick and I have become great buddies. He follows me around everywhere I go at the ranch, like a big puppy. I’ve grown to absolutely adore his little Muttley self. Yet I can see that he isn’t thrilled to be in captivity – rather he’s resigned. Each day I watch a little piece of his soul go dark, as he stands in his huge paddock in the same spot for hours on end, never lifting his head, staring straight into the fence that is his jail.
Only when he’s out riding in a field or in the trees, or next to a lake does he perk up. Or when I walk up to the paddock. But it’s obvious, when he is in the wild he is at home. It’s not that he doesn’t love me, because he does. He whinnies when he sees me, puts his head on my shoulder, closes his eyes and sleeps. I’m sure he thinks I saved him from a fate he’d rather forget. He loves me and I love him – and that’s why I must let him go.
I’ve decided the best gift I can give Maverick is to send him back to the wild to the life that he yearns for, the life he loves. I found a potential spot and I’m in contact with them. Hopefully sometime next year Maverick can be free to roam the Nevada Plains again.
I am having such a hard time even thinking about letting go. I’m tearing up as I write this. That little guy has touched my heart so deeply in such a short time. It’s been my pride and my joy to watch him leave behind his fear and move into trust – to see him grow and become himself again – safe and secure. Even though I know the best thing for him is to let him go – it’s going to be hard.
My experience with Maverick isn’t that much different from the experience we have with anything else that we love, anything that is safe and known and comfortable. My consulting business was like Maverick – my focus, my pride and joy for decades. It took me nearly 10 years to let go of that beloved safety zone to step out into the unknown is an author and professional speaker. Today, I don’t know what took me so long to let go!
As humans we are emotional beings. Those emotions are tied into our business as well as our personal lives. Our products become our children, our businesses the focus for our attention and caring. All too often we know that we must change in order to grow. Yet change is so difficult. Change often means we have to let go of that which we love, our pride, our joy, our creation.
Sometimes letting go just plain sucks.
But I will let go, because I know it’s the right thing to do.
How about you?
