Let It Go
Every day I have the privilege of providing personal and professional development for organizations and individuals. I am constantly inspired, amazed and humbled by the incredible things that people are doing, accomplishing, and striving to become.
I also have a front row seat to watch how hard we can be on ourselves, the unattainably high standards we hold ourselves to, and our inevitable blind spots that keep us from celebrating our accomplishments and achievements.
I’ve written a number of blogs on perfectionism and self-acceptance, and I’m guessing I’ll write a few more. It’s so rare that we cut ourselves any slack. If we’re going to do something, it better be perfect. If we fix something, it had better stay fixed. And if we’re going to love ourselves, we better earn it and prove we’re lovable.
And the idea that keeps coming up for me is “what if we all tried less hard?” What if, instead of grasping, we let go? What if we could truly accept – and even enjoy – ourselves just as we are in all our magnificent imperfection?
My favorite Deepak Chopra meditation begins with a quote from Rumi: “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to look for and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” And then Deepak says, “Letting go of barriers is so much easier than chasing perfection. Chasing something requires effort. Letting go takes none. In fact, release is energizing.”
Where could you try less hard? What barriers have you built against love – especially against loving yourself? What can you let go of? What could you celebrate about yourself or your accomplishments today?
Let it go!
P.S. Having a sense of humor helps! Watch this clip for a little inspiration on not taking yourself too seriously. Rock that triangle, Idina! “Let it go, let it go; that perfect girl is gone…”