One of my companions from “A Simple Year” has shared one very insightful thought on why letting go is so difficult:
“Clutter is the story of our lives. It is a representation of who we’ve been, where we’ve been, what we’d hoped for, things that once were, things that will never be again and everything in between.”
Letting go is not only about leaving material stuff, it is about separating from memories, plans, hopes. It is about saying good bye to some previous life and making a space for a new experience to come in.
And new is often unknown, intimidating and intense, no matter how simple it could sound.
Saying that, let me share with you my last experience with the change. This week I decided to cut my hair from long to short length. The last time I had short hair was in high school, so two decades ago!
The reason I wanted to change was to spend less time in maintaining it, and I want my hair to be clean and to look tidy. I have always wanted to have a short hair, but I was afraid of change. On my way to the hairdresser, million excuses on why to go back home and stop this mission, have come to me.
Something like: I do not trust hairdressers in the UK, they are not good (???!!!), I will look strange, it is probably super expensive….and so on and on.
But I was still walking without changing direction. Why? Because I have managed to persuade myself that the feeling I feel is not a fear, but excitement. How did I do that? I have remembered Mel Robbins, a motivational speaker, who said that fear and excitement are the same physiological reaction, it just depends on how we will call them: fear or excitement. So, I have renamed my fear.
And I made it! Such a stupid situation I thought, but I felt success I have managed to let my fear go.
Is the outcome perfect? Probably not, but I am one step closer to what I have wanted – to let go.
And you know what, I am super EXCITED with my new hair style!
