Acceptance and Letting Go As Part of Finding Your Purpose
On the journey to find your true purpose, you will come to places where you feel lost, confused, frustrated, or stuck. 😕 This is a signal that it’s time to accept something and let go of what no longer serves you in order to move forward.
This will happen more than once, so it’s important to get comfortable with this concept. Many coaches and experts will tell you that you need to decide what to let go of or decide when to let go. You don’t!
With the right tools, which I’ll explain below, you can let go of anything standing in your way without knowing exactly what it is. 👍
Similarly, coaches and other experts will offer suggestions like “create an affirmation,” or “use a mantra.” You can, if you wish, but again, those are not necessary and may not work for you.
Before I explain how to truly work through acceptance and letting go as part of finding your life purpose, it’s important to understand why this matters.
Painful experiences, such as situations with family members 👪 or other occasions when negative feelings have arisen and gone unresolved stay with all of us. For a time, they even serve a purpose. They may help us to stay safe and avoid similar situations, for example.
Over time, though, they stop serving a purpose and become barriers 🧱 to the personal and spiritual growth necessary to find your purpose. That’s when you start to feel lost, confused, frustrated, and stuck. When that happens - and it will happen - it’s time to work on acceptance and letting go. 🌀
Also, as humans, our ego-minds want to know ALL THE THINGS. When, why, where, how is it going to happen, and why isn’t it happening when, where, and how we want, and why do other people seem to be getting what we want. Sound familiar? This is also a sign that you need to work on acceptance and letting go. 🌀
Here’s how!
Show Gratitude 🙏
Remember that whatever is keeping you stuck right now once served a purpose. Be grateful for that and then ask it to move on.
Example phrasing “Thank you to __ (situation, feeling, etc.) for __ (keeping me safe, teaching me a lesson, etc.). I appreciate the positives you brought to my life, but you no longer serve me. It’s time for you to move on. Please do that RIGHT NOW.”
If you don’t know specifics for the blanks, keep it generic (i.e. thank you to this situation for the positives you’ve brought to my life.)
This is similar to a technique used in Inner Family Systems (IFS) therapy. So, if this speaks to you and you feel like you need to go deeper with it, look for an IFS therapist near you.
Create a Letting Go Ceremony or Ritual
There are many ways to do this. Choose the one(s) that feel most right for you.
Option 1: Burn It 🔥
To the best of your ability, write down whatever it is you’re trying to move on from. This could be in the form of a list, a letter, a few random words, etc. Again, it’s about what makes sense for you.
Once you’ve done that, gather your tools. At a minimum, you’ll need a fire safe bowl, a lighter or matches, and the paper(s) you’ve written on. You could also add incense, oils, herbs, or anything else that you feel would make it meaningful for you.
As you light the paper(s) say something similar to the phrasing in the Show Gratitude section above.
Then, watch it burn and imagine all the pain, heaviness, and blocks floating away in the smoke.
***Please be sure to take proper precautions to keep your home, community, pets, and yourself safe.
Option 2: Wash It Away
Some people prefer to use water instead of fire. And this can also vary depending on your emotions, the situation, etc. Either one works just fine!
To wash away anything you need to let go of, start the same way as you would to burn it - write it down. If you want to use dissolving paper, that’s even better!
Then, you can either wash it away in Nature (a river, stream, pond, etc.) or use a bowl of water in your home and spill out the water. 🌊 As you do this, say those same words as noted in the Show Gratitude section.
Another way to wash away things you need to let go of, is to say those words while you’re in the shower 🚿 and imagine them washing down the drain.
Meditation and Other Healing Tools for Acceptance and Letting Go
You’re likely familiar with traditional styles of meditation 🧘 - where you sit quietly and are guided through the process. If this works for you, great! You’ll probably do well with this mediation for acceptance and letting go.
If that hasn’t worked well for you in the past, you may want to try these other healing tools that have a similar purpose, but are more active.
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) aka the tapping thing, works to release blocks whether you can name them or not.
Sound Healing you can play any of these in the background of your day and receive healing benefits. 👂 If you can make a few moments to pause and actively listen, the healing benefits will be amplified
Try a Reiki treatment. While it’s best if you can find a practitioner to work with you on your specific situation, you can try one of these Reiki healing videos specifically about acceptance and letting go if they speak to you.
Do the subconscious work. Talk therapy and similar techniques work with our conscious mind and eventually that can trickle into our subconscious minds. But our subconscious minds have a LOT of control. You can accelerate your healing process by doing the subconscious work.
I’ve used every single one of these methods at various points in my journey, and continue to keep them as part of my tool box 🧰 for when I reach places where I need to accept and let go in order to move forward.
Use whichever ones speak to you and feel free to change or combine them as you desire. There is no right or wrong way to accept and let go. The process of acceptance and letting go is as personal as your journey to find your purpose. Do what works for you and leave the rest.
You got this! 💖