Lauren van Vliet, author

There’s a great quote making the social media rounds that says:

The trees are about to show us how beautiful it is to let things go.

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The leaves are just starting to turn here, and when they start, they go fast. But the beauty isn’t just in the leaves changing colours, there is beauty in what can happen when they’re on the ground. Left alone, those leaves decompose and enrich the soil to grow something new.

This adds a whole new layer to the beauty that comes from letting things go. Not only is there a lightness from the freedom, there are opportunities to learn from what’s been shed.

One week in to my six months of focus I’m slowly realizing the number of things that many need to be removed from my life. Some are physical, like clutter that make it difficult to work, others are habits that I’ve fallen into, like snacking while I write, and some are beliefs about myself or what’s possible.

But what happens, practically speaking, when we let these things go? That answer is different for each person and each thing we let go.

One thing I had to let go of is using easy words to describe how I’m feeling. For instance, I was reflecting on why I procrastinate on my writing. The easy answer is that I’m scared of letting people read it. And while that is valid, it’s also an easy answer – I’ve submitted pieces for publication, and posted on blogs, without a second thought.

Letting go of the easy answer led me to another, deeper answer: I’m apprehensive about what will happen when I take the next step in my writing journey – submitting a complete novel manuscript to an editor for professional feedback.

Being able to say that I’m apprehensive about what my writing will bring seems smaller, and more easily managed that saying I’m scared of it. Apprehension conjures the picture of a gently hill to climb with a barely used, but manageable trail. Being scared of it brings to mind a mountain, with a peak hidden somewhere in the clouds, that I could never climb.

Letting go of the easy answer, created the space and freedom to be able to talk myself forward. Do I still know what’s coming next? Nope. But am I willing to continue, despite that? Yep. In fact using a more accurate word to make things seem more manageable gave me the freedom to sit at my computer and write this post, plan out three more for the rest of the month, and feel excited about doing.

There are lots of other areas in my life that I need to let things go, but I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. So, for now, I will celebrate the beauty of this freedom, and see what else is unearthed.