Catch and Release

We’re going to talk about one of the most difficult things that a human can learn to do – and it is so essential to both our financial and personal well being – that I can’t stress it enough.

It’s all about learning to let go – after we’ve gotten exactly what we want. Not sure if this qualifies as good news or bad, but it is definitely news. That’s because almost none of us is raised with this information/awareness; quite the contrary in fact.

Traditional conditioning may encompass the pursuit of what we want(usually in a convoluted way), but it almost never considers what to do when we have obtained those goals. And by the way, I am not suggesting that we have to let go of what we have achieved immediately after we get it – that would be some cruel joke wouldn’t it?

What I am saying is that at some point after we obtain what or who we want in our lives, there may come a time when it is appropriate to let go; and it is good to be attuned to this. In Monergy, I have a chapter that addresses this issue on the financial realm and I call it “Watching for Signs/Cycling Out”. The goal of that chapter is to illustrate how people often hang on to good financial opportunities or investments too long, because they are greedy or want to suck every last dollar out of something; as a result they can get clobbered when a market turns – and free markets (whether stocks or real estate) can turn quickly these days and be very cruel.

So when you look at all the people who hang on to something or somebody way after the expiration date has arrived (think we have all been there!); just take a moment to appreciate the disastrous results that follow. Of course, “hanging on” rather than “letting go” is reinforced by just about everything in society. And it is all based upon fear – fear that you can never replace that opportunity, fear that you will never be with such a great person again.

What often accompanies the mentality of “holding on” is an almost complete lack of gratitude. How many people do you know who are grateful for the great opportunities that have come there way, knowing that everything has a cycle of beginning, middle and end? You can become one of those grateful people by simply giving constant thanks for all the wonderful people and things in your life – and by learning to let go graciously when the time is right.

All the best boys and girls.