Here is a quote – The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.
—Hans Hoffman
Imagine you have a whole block of marble in front of you. It is the most exquisite marble there ever was. The most radiant color. And it is simply lying there, rough and unpolished, waiting to be turned into a masterpiece. If you are a person with sound judgment, you will not hesitate to sculpt the marble into an inspiring piece of meaningful art. You will not be reluctant to scrape out its rough edges to give it the required detailing. You will not refrain from removing those portions of the marble that serve the final sculpture no further. Why? Because you know that although it is difficult, it is also vital to scrape in order to sculpt. If you can apply this principle to the marble, then why avoid applying the same principle to your life?
When you do things that you don’t love, that don’t serve you in a meaningful way, or when you waste your time on a dead relationship, you deny your mind, body, and soul what they yearn to achieve. Take all the time you need to analyze your priorities, and accordingly, decide what is good for you. Whether it’s a business failure, the death of your best pal, a betrayal or an excruciating breakup, holding on to such disappointments will only make things difficult for you.
By accepting the process of letting go, we make people and things that we can’t stay with forever a part of our history. After all, unless we move beyond what’s behind us, we cannot reach out to what lies in front of us. There is no point in hindering our growth by not allowing someone to leave us when they have stopped adding any value to our existence.
If someone or something is not affecting our lives positively, the best way to deal with it is to grow apart from it. Here are some ways I believe could help us see the brighter side of life and welcome it with the brightest smile.
Distance yourself from the issue
Anyone who wants a better picture of the issue should consider being a detached observer. Agreed, it’s not humanly possible sometimes to detach our mind and senses from something that we think is a part of our existence; but in not doing so, our view of the entire issue is bound to be a lopsided one. So take several steps back, explore something else, or simply take a break from the issue to find something new about the problem.
Be bold enough to accept the truth
Your experiences might have made you laugh, cry, learn something new, or grow in one way or the other. Try to be brave enough to accept everything that brought you here, the experiences you had with you prior to a particular incident, and also the opportunities that lie ahead. It will help you trust your intuition and learn the significance of that incident. Then, if you seriously want to look further and move towards something better, you’ll realize that it’s the right time to make things happen.
Always focus on what you can change
We cannot change everything about life and its various episodes, but some of them can be wiped out of our memory for sure. Ask yourself if things that you have no control over deserve your attention at all. Such an introspective view of things and circumstances will help you review your options and reframe your future course of action.
Now make the decision to let it go
Unless you make a conscious choice to let them go, unpleasant things will continue to haunt you. Since you now have a clear idea of what you can change, it’s high time for you to stop revisiting the painful aspects of your experience. Try to find the root cause of your hurt. Once you’ve found it, communicate (with) it in the loudest voice – audible to you or the system responsible for the hurt. Cry, forgive, learn and move on. Always believe that your past is now lying buried beneath the edifice of a promising future.
Think of your life as that rough and unpolished block of marble. If you are living with rough edges – be it a dead relationship, an uninspiring job or a toxic addiction – it is time to scrape it out and sculpt your life. Let go of that which is unnecessary to make space for that which is meaningful. This is the simplest way to begin a process that will change your life for good.