It happens every autumn, the leaves change color and fall off the tree. 

I was on a walk this week as the leaves were rapidly falling from the trees in  a serious windstorm!  The Montana Big Sky was a gorgeous hue of blue, my thoughts were no where and then everywhere.

I looked up at an Aspen tree that was quaking and shaking and noticed a few of the leaves were hanging on even though the majority were swirling off the tree.  I began to wonder about my life in  comparison to the leaves that were hanging on.

Am I hanging on to something in my life that I should be letting go?  Am I like the leaf that will eventually have give up and fall to the ground?  I spent many steps on my walk, looking at my life, and determined that I was in fact hanging on too tightly to something.  I was spending way too much time on it and giving it a lot of precedence in my thoughts. I began my chit chat with God and we determined that I was time for me to cut the cord and move on!  (Well God knew all along and was helping me to figure it out!)

I made a conscious decision not to let the situation invade my mind anymore and when it happened to pop into my head, I gently reminded myself to let it go.  I didn’t beat myself up because it came back to me – after all, I let it invade for quite a while!  I had a plan to move my thoughts elsewhere.  My plan also included a gentle discussion with the person who I was giving up so much of my precious time.  A straight on approach, get it out and get done and leave knowing that I can move on! I’m not saying it’s easy but I am saying that it gets easier the more you are honest and straight forward with people.

What’s your “something” that you’re hanging on to?   Does it cause you to lose sleep,  to spend time thinking about what you should have done or said, to gossip or make justifications?  Do you let the situation lead you to a lot of negative energy?

Letting go of something takes a little planning on your part.  Decide how you’ll let it go.  Decide what you will do when the situation comes back to you.  Come up with a new thought that you’ll immediately go to.  Find a mantra that brings about good positive energy.  Call a friend who doesn’t allow you to wallow around but helps you be the best YOU that you can be.  Whatever you decide, the best thing you can do is to be like the Aspen Leaf — let go and swirl to your destiny!

PS Don’t let it linger any longer, do something now.