It’s much easier to let go when there is less to hold. 

Our worth is not dependent on how many possessions we carry, how many “likes” we garner, how many “friends” we connect with, how much we may believe we “control” a situation, or how well our intentions may be for our loved ones. When we let go of the need or addicted “satisfaction” for any of these external sources do we accept the ease of letting go.

Sports “heroes” neglect their bodies with drugs because they don’t believe they possess enough competitive edge inside. Trusted officials spin words to cover lie upon lie rather than speak the truths of their hearts. Lovers ignore a deeper soul connection in favor of immediate physical gratification.

I believe this tendency to seek satisfaction, worthiness and attention from the outside is one of the human “faults.” Ever since we are babies we have reached out to our mothers for attention, for the rewards of love. When we received the affection, nurturing and full belly our happiness emotions were triggered. We were programmed to seek satisfaction from the outside.

As we grow up we discover not everyone on the playground wants to share their attention with you. We abandoned by our classmates when they choose another best friend for the day. We grow feelings of shame when our grades aren’t at the top of the class. At its worse we feel unworthy when we’re not asked to go to the prom. And the vicious cycle can become even stronger when we enter college and the work force. When we look outside ourselves for our value, our worth, we ignore the true source of love – ourselves.

We must learn to stop the self criticism and neglect in favor of embracing our inner beauty and strength. We can only do this by letting go of the external forces that pull at our insecurities. We have absolutely no control over anything or anyone outside ourselves. They never serve our interests. And we will always be dependent on seeking the incessant need for faster, higher, sweeter… for more.

We must learn the most valuable possessions in life always begin with “self”:

self respect

self validation

self confidence

self love

When we focus our attention and addictions towards ourselves, we’ll own confidence, worthiness, respect and love. Best of all, we will forever carry them with us. They will never weigh us down. They will never be sold off to make room for change. They will never abandon us, deteriorate or decay. They will perpetually feed our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.

When we choose self love, we never let it go.