The Art of LETTING GO to achieve greater heights and goals.
In the words of Eckhart Tolle, ‘sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.’’’
In psychology, letting go mostly refers to mentally letting go of something or consciously abandoning attachment to it. For example, letting go of the need or desire and accepting what must occur, such as insisting on someone to be in your life or for something to happen in a specific way.
As a leader in the workplace, limiting beliefs on letting go can show up in various forms, such as lack of delegation, fear of giving up control, or position of influence within an organization.
Even when you know the situation is unhelpful; change can seem challenging because of the unconscious mindset of standing your ground as a more accessible option than facing the limiting belief or fear head-on. There are also factors, such as fear of uncertainty, that feed the need to hold on.
We struggle the most with letting go of the past. We could be going through a difficult period and long for happier days in the past. This could entail that our focus is on wishing a key person was still alive and with us right now, missing a close friend who drifted away from us, or even just wanting to undo specific business deals and do them again the right way for better success.
The future, or a particular vision of how the end should be, is another thing that can be challenging to let go of. Have you ever felt you were bashing your head against a brick wall while attempting to make things happen? For example, you may try to scale your business, save a failing relationship, or delegate more effectively to your teams.
It might be challenging to determine whether you are facing difficulties and obstacles that you can and should get beyond to develop your character and achieve your goals. Or are these obstacles too significant to overcome?
How Can I Move Forward?
- Identify what causes unease in your life, business, and relationship. Dig deep so you have a clear picture of the root cause, no matter how unsettling your insights might reveal. This is key to building awareness, for you can only change what you consciously know is not working.
- Get clear with who you are. Yes, it sounds harsh, but finding out what drives you at your core will enable you to lead naturally, with solid momentum, confidence, courage, and clarity. This is a pivotal step in unleashing your inner leader. By working in accordance consistently with your natural talents and interests, you bring out the best in yourself, which has a contagious impact on people around you and motivates them to do the same. Moreover, by making this profound internal adjustment of letting go, we can build better teams, organizations, enterprises, and societies that follow similar courses of action to make goals a reality.
- Let go. This requires the intentional act of moving from awareness to implementation. First, give yourself a timeline with a grace window because this type of inner work takes time. Then, you will move toward your desired outcome with intentional thoughts, emotions, and decisions.
- Reinforce helpful thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Give yourself permission to acknowledge and appreciate your growth. What you repeat becomes a habit and, ultimately, a lifestyle.
Food for Thought
Successful leadership builds a bridge between what is essential to you, what is vital to the individual employee, and what is important to the organization. It focuses on how to match personal skills and ideals with organizational objectives.
Why? Because a clearer conscience boosts engagement with a sense of letting go of any hard feelings.
People develop a strong commitment to the things they create and a passion for seeing things through when they are empowered to show up as their authentic selves. The output of that is fuel, originality, and problem-solving.
So overall, whatever hardship you are facing in life, be it a relationship or a business venture, if it is something that is not helping you to bring the best out of you, then let it go.
Letting go may seem hard, but it can be the most beneficial factor for your self-development.
As Phil Jackson wisely said, ‘leadership is not about forcing your will on others. It’s about mastering the art of letting go.’
What will you let go of today?
Source: CEOWorld
Patty Block, President and Founder of The Block Group, established her company to advocate for women-owned businesses, helping them position their companies for strategic growth. From improving cash flow…. to increasing staff productivity…. to scaling for growth, these periods of transition — and so many more — provide both challenges and opportunities. Managed effectively, change can become a productive force for growth. The Block Group harnesses that potential, turning roadblocks into building blocks for women-owned businesses.
