One Good Reason Mentally Strong People Let GO

ONE GOOD REASON MENTALLY STRONG PEOPLE LET GO

By Angel Chernoff

Letting go of control… and being OK with it.

That is one of the greatest struggles many of us deal with on a daily basis, myself included.

Because letting go of control goes directly against our modernized, industrialized way of living – we are go-getters, doers, architects of our destiny. We build things and make things happen on our own terms; we don’t wait for anything to happen on someone else’s terms! At least that’s what I learned from teachers, sports coaches, movies, songs, magazine articles, and so forth growing up. So allowing things to happen was not in my DNA. I had never been one to sit back and passively let go of control.

Over the years, however, my perspective has shifted. I’ve grown mentally stronger, even as I’ve learned the hard way that a great deal of the control we believe we have over our lives is an illusion. For example, I’ve since met…

the young man who had his life turned upside down by cancer
the young woman, and mother of two, who lost her husband at 27
the local business owner who was thriving until the economy collapsed
the hard-working employee who lost her job when her employer of 25 years filed for bankruptcy
the runner who lost his leg in a hit-and-run car accident
the mom whose son has a debilitating genetic illness despite her doing everything right during pregnancy
and many, many more people just like them …

It happens every day – situations we think we have control over, but we really don’t.

So what can we do?

The only choice we have is: Let go, and be mindful …

And although it sometimes takes a great deal of mental strength to do so, we CAN strengthen our minds gradually with practice.

In the game of life, we all receive a unique set of unexpected limitations and variables in the field of play. The question is: How will you respond to the hand you’ve been dealt? You can either focus on the lack thereof or empower yourself to play the game sensibly and resourcefully, making the very best of every outcome as it arises, even when it’s heartbreaking and hard to accept.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

The mind is your battleground …

… it’s the place where the fiercest and most ruthless conflict resides.

… where half of the things you actually feared were going to happen never happen.

… where your expectations (to control the uncontrollable) always get the best of you.

… where you fall victim to your own train of thought time and time again.

If you allow these self-defeating thoughts to dwell in your mind, they will succeed in robbing you of peace, joy, productivity, meaning, and ultimately your life.