We hold on to things for too long. It’s like we grab on to them for the longest time and refuse to let go. Have you ever noticed that? You clench your fists around whatever it is and keep holding on so tight even when your fingers have grown weak and weary.

Have you ever thought that holding on to something painful for that long only harms you in the process? Your hands hurt, your mind hurts and eventually your heart hurts.

Sadness.

Bitterness.

Broken friendships.

Breakups.

Death.

Fights.

Painful words.

Hurtful memories.

Shame.

Guilt.

Mistakes.

letgo

Why? Why do we hang on to them and let them hurt us again and again? Why do we keep thinking and obsessing about it? I feel like holding on that tight to something that brings us nothing but pain is like squeezing broken pieces of glass and expecting them not to hurt. They hurt. They make you bleed.

We need to learn to let go. We need to accept things as they are. We need to stop trying to make things go our way. Things don’t always go the way we want them to in life. People hurt us. Circumstances hurt us. We hurt ourselves. Most of that is beyond our control. What we can control, however, is letting go. Just let it go. Stop letting things hurt you. Don’t hold on to things that bring you nothing but pain. Move on. Accept. Let go.

Let him go. Let her go. Let them go. Let it go. The old friend who let you down, the partner who broke your heart, the family member who made you cry, the painful things they said, the hurtful things they did; let it all go.

A big part of moving forward requires you to stop looking back. The best won’t come until you stop giving the past so much attention and the authority to control or hurt you.

I’ve always liked having control over every situation I possibly could. It made me feel safe knowing I could control my own life. Little did I know, holding on to so much useless baggage only hurt me in the process.

Stop clenching your fists so tight. Stop trying to fix it. Stop trying to figure out what went wrong. Stop over-analyzing it. Stop.

There’s a certain beauty about letting go. There’s freedom in letting go. There’s liberation. Don’t think about it. Don’t cry about it. Forget about it.

It’s okay to fall. What’s not okay is to accept defeat and stay on the ground when you have the choice to stand back up again. Get back up. Dust it off. Move on. Let go.

Live.