"In life and love, you learn that there comes a time to let go and move on."
- Taylor Swift
Everyone holds on because of one reason: hope.
Hope makes us look forward to something else, to something more. Most people want to live their lives holding on to something, don't we all?
But sometimes, while it's all brave to hold on to something, letting go is just the only way to move forward.
Looking forward to something is good but actually moving forward when all else fails is better, way better than being stuck and still.
They say it's easier said than done. Most of the time, people get lost in their thoughts. Most of the time, the hardest question to answer is not the "how" but the "when".
Whether it's love or life, there comes a point that you just have to turn the other cheek and walk away. It's sad but it's true, there are some things that're just not meant to happen.
Let go of someone who constantly expects you to be someone you're not. Perhaps it's an overrated statement but still, don't change who you are just to be good enough for someone else. Everybody deserves someone who accepts them and still love them even at the lowest points of their lives. It's always easier to heal a broken heart than to put together a shattered personality. It's easier to fill that space in your life where someone used to be than that space in your life where YOU used to be.
When you find yourself forcing someone to love you, let them go. Never, ever, beg for love. Love is supposed to be about freedom–freedom from doubt and uncertainties. Love is something that we should not beg for. It should be given to us with all its glory and passion. Everyday, anyone can come to your life and tell you they love you but it takes someone really special to stay and prove it. Yes, for most people, waiting for the right one can be excruciating but when the right one comes along, the wait is going to be worth it. Be patient; there's always someone for everyone.
Let go of the people who forces you to sacrifice your happiness. While its true that love and friendship are made of sacrifices, it's also true that it's not a good thing if you let people make more withdrawals than deposits in your life. We all deserve partners and friends that doesn't make us choose between the things we love and the things we need to do to keep them. You're lucky if the people surrounding you are both of those things but when they're not, remember that it's always better to be alone and dignified than to be with someone and be miserable.
When someone keeps on breaking your trust, let them go. As per an age-old saying, love is giving someone the chance to hurt you but trusting them not to. Trust should be a long-term investment. It shouldn't be something you have to re-piece over and over. Insurance companies call it "trust fund" for a reason. When people continue to break your trust, you should let them go because everybody deserves to be surrounded with people who genuinely cares for them.
When something keeps you from growing, let it go. Don't get stuck on something that strangles you and keeps you from becoming your potential self. If you're unhappy with your current situation or your job, remember that it's better to be a failure at trying to be your best than to be successful in doing something you hate. Don't surround yourself with people who makes you think twice about going all the way for your dreams. It doesn't matter how old you are; no one is too old to follow their heart.
And lastly, it's time to let go once you found yourself living in the past. When you are in this picture, let me remind you about the power of the word "eventually." Sure, there's this overwhelming pain you feel even just at the thought of letting go but eventually, it will stop hurting too much. Eventually, you'll forget why you cried and who caused the pain. It's normal to think, "What if I never get over this?" But when you finally free yourself from the cage that only you can unlock and let things unfold naturally, everything heals and mends at the right time. Someday, something will happen to your life that will make you forget that you ever stooped this low. Someday, someone will come to your life and make you realize why it never worked with someone else.
Letting go is a long, grueling process. It hurts. The letting go phase has the capability to break your heart to pieces but it could also be the phase that will help you put it back together.
The last time I let go? It broke my heart but the last time I checked, I'm still here, writing; alive and kicking. The last time I let someone go? I cried but the last time I checked, I earned myself a new pair of eyes, a new set of perspective.
The last time I let someone go? I might have lost someone but the last time I checked, I got myself back–I might be back to my old self or I might have turned into someone new but I'm sure that whoever I have become after letting go, after leaving a ground I hated... I became someone remotely similar to who I can become.
Letting go hurts but it's also the only way to move forward.
Letting go hurts but it's also the only way to move forward.
