Letting Go…
Letting go is hard. Most of the time when we think of letting go it is normally about people or things, but I want to talk more about letting go of our plans and ideas.
I am honestly not a big planner. I am more of a big idea guy, and I wander somewhat aimlessly towards achieving that idea. I find that I feel pressure when I make plans for what I want to do with my life, and I ultimately end up feeling defeated. I find that picking a direction is better than having an itinerary. An itinerary keeps you locked in and you will succeed in your goal, but it can also keep you from being able to adjust to changes along the way.
When I started Integral Design Services a couple years ago, I did it with the idea of bringing people’s ideas to life. I wasn’t worried about making a bunch of money or growing the company into something huge. I wanted to help others and gain some freedom for myself in the future. So far, my original plan hasn’t been very successful in terms of cashflow or number of projects, but it has succeeded in other ways. I have been able to pivot into more of a specialty product design and manufacturing service. By not having a rigid structure that my company had to stay tied to, I gave myself freedom to explore other options when it came to services my company can offer.
I still have my full-time job, and that isn’t going to change any time soon, but I am finally seeing some opportunities because I was open to changing the direction of my ideas.
We get stuck pretty easily. All it takes is a couple of roadblocks and most of us will give up and retreat back in the direction we came and use it as a lesson to never try again. I lived that way for 40 years. What changed is when I started to veer around the roadblocks and take the paths less traveled. I have given me the feel of freedom and peace in my life that I was lacking. That change allowed me to see opportunities differently and be open to giving them a shot.
Another thing I have been struggling with is letting go of my own preferences when it comes to church and worship especially. I have always struggled with my ability to fully get into the worship songs during church. I don’t know why I have such an aversion to letting go of myself and just allowing myself to go all in during that time of the church service. I have been getting some gut punches from the platform for the past couple of weeks. What I am coming to realize is that I must give God full control of my life and allow my plans and preferences to be optional in my life. Live to be a blessing to others and simply follow instructions on how to live life.
Basically, I have to let go of myself and I am finding that is the hardest thing of all to do.
“12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” - Phillippians 3 : 12-14 NLT