There’s so much freedom that comes with letting go: of stuff we no longer need or use, of titles that no longer describe us, of beliefs that no longer serve us.
If you’ve been “hanging in,” waiting for things in your life to shift, perhaps you’ve just been hanging on for too long: to people, to things, or maybe to that job that sucks you dry.
Spring (a.k.a. NOW) is the time for deep cleaning…to let go of whatever it is that is keeping you stuck, or holding you back, or is just no longer necessary for your fundamental health or wellbeing.
When Marge Dellavecchia came to her very first camp in 2015, she was stunned by our one major rule at women’s weekends: you cannot say what you do for a living for the first 24 hours.
Marge came to realize that she was using her powerful job title as a crutch, fearful that she wasn’t “interesting” without it. Being forced to define herself separately from her work gave Marge the freedom to evaluate her life from a new perspective, one where she could dream about new paths forward. With this fresh perspective, Marge was able to walk away from a job that she held for decades, and forge a new future.
This future was one wherein Marge would define herself as authentic, engaged, confident, in addition to her role as VP and Principal of an engineering firm. She has rediscovered the best parts of her life: “connecting and reconnecting with my family and friends, colleagues, coworkers and new business opportunities.”
We call that decluttering your soul. Marge: thanks for sharing!
1. Do something that scares the crap out of you.
Fear is real. It holds us back and reminds us to keep doubting the choices we’re making, keeping us stuck. Stepping up and trying something new (even when you’d rather stick with that same old same old you already know), is the only way to grow.
Need a push doing something that gets you out of your comfort zone? Check out some inspirational stories from the ladies at One Tough Bitch. Or, if you run a business, Dawn Andrews of Free Range Thinking can help you ditch old habits and try new ways of operating.
2. Dump self-limiting beliefs.
You would never talk to your friends in the negative tone you use to berate yourself, so ditch that habit right now. Make your dreams bigger than you can even imagine, and stop telling yourself there is no way you’ll ever reach them. Once you can start really believing in yourself, there’s no stopping you.
What are self-limiting beliefs? Joanna Kleinman(LCSW) calls those voices the Inner Critic, and helps people shut those voices up.
3. Get real.
Some relationships are much better in your head than they are in real life, so start seeing things the way they really are, not the way you want them to be. When people disappoint you, stop making excuses for them. Only keep relationships that lift you up; that might mean having some hard conversations, putting healthy boundaries in place, or taking a good, hard look at your own behavior. It’s your life: you decide who gets to be a part of it.
Need help? Handel Group will help you shed old patterns and hold yourself accountable to building the life you dream about. The Handel Method is changing my life in a very big way. So worth checking out!
So whether you’re dumping the clutter from your soul, your closet, your relationships, or your own head, spring has sprung. Let it go. It’s time to free yourself from all the junk that’s holding you back from who and where you want to be…
From the campfire and beyond,
Tammi Leader Fuller
Chief Vision Officer
