You know it's time to let go when...

You know it’s time to let go when you hit a wall and it hurts so much you have to release the struggle. At that point you realize you are strong enough to face the emotions and circumstances that kept you holding on. 

It is a mystery why letting go often takes such a long time but for sure it will come and at just the right time for you to trust you can handle what happens next. 

I finally got to see the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and so much of it is about the challenge of letting go. Shuri, Black Panther’s sister, is struggling to accept and come to terms with the death of her brother and this struggle causes havoc within her and in how she relates to her people and the world. Many months after the death her mother urges her to burn her funeral garments so she can accept that he is dead and have a chance to move forward with her life in a healthy way. She refuses until she knows that it is the right time for her to let go. 

Once Shuri does let go and experiences an emotional release, she receives a miraculous blessing. She meets her nephew, Black Panther’s son, and embraces the reality that life is always moving forward in amazing ways.

This is how letting go is – the blessings on the other side are always unexpected and profound. 

The New Thought singer and songwriter Stefan Mitchell has written about this in his song “On the Other Side of Letting Go”:  

Still you fight for control 
Of the things you never can change 
Still your tired restless soul 
Rushes on with wild abandon 

Wait and see what can be  
When you learn to trust enough to set it free 
You’ll find peace and sweet release 
And all the things you need to know 
On the other side of letting go 

I have gone through this dynamic in work situations when I was pushing for something I wanted and could not accept that it was not happening. One time I had been promised a promotion and even when everyone else could see it was not actually going to happen, I kept holding on and insisting even though it was not in my control. When I finally hit that wall and was able to feel the disappointment and anger, I let go into a new job at a different company that was a better fit and came with more compensation as well. 

Where in your life and work are you ready to let go of something that is not working for you?