This started out as an article on the importance of letting go to move forward. It ended up as an article suggesting the dreams that inspired us in our youth offer important clues to our true potential and purpose in life.

It turns out, letting go and pursuing the hard work of becoming our best are inherently interrelated. We need to let go to grow. And we need something that points to our true purpose to realize our potential.

Yin and Yang.

Letting Go:

It’s difficult to let go in our personal and professional lives.

Letting go is often the most important thing you can do for yourself or your firm.

I once walked away from a job I liked a great deal. (OK, I loved it.) Separation was painful. It was also the right thing to do at that phase of my career.

I recently let go of a portion of two major areas of my professional work. Neither supported my personal and professional mission to help others achieve things they never believed they were capable of achieving in their careers and lives.

I agonized over these and felt guilty as I informed stakeholders I was moving on with other work. Now that it is done, I feel liberated.

In business, my biggest mistakes with people involved holding on for too long. I held on long after they had given up. It didn’t end well for any of us.

At the business and strategy level, holding on to the past is harmful. Just read the business headlines.

Fear keeps us tethered to our past.

Management teams fear the short-term implications of letting go of what worked historically. They falsely assume they can outsmart and out-maneuver the market and the forces of change.

The market and the forces of change win when you are tethered to the status quo.

Leaders struggle to let go of failed people and teams, convinced with more time and money they can get it right.

Mostly, they waste more time and money.

Words "Let it Go" written in sand

Things We Struggle to Let Go Of:

  • Habits that adversely impact our physical health.
  • Thinking patterns that damage our mental health. The lack of self-esteem is a silent crisis holding too many people in place.
  • Jobs or bosses that make us ill.
  • Relationships that no longer fit who we are and where we are going.
  • Grudges or feuds where the cause is no longer apparent.
  • Perceived slights.
  • Causes that no longer match our values. (Yes, our values do evolve.)

The Most Important Item You Should Retain:

There is one part of our lives I regret seeing people release too easily: their dreams.

Specifically, the dreams of our youth. I’m convinced that at some point all of us innately understand the type of work that we must do in our lives to be at our best. This recognition occurs long before adulthood.

Our uncluttered, unpolluted minds understand who we are and what we are best suited for in our work. And no, I’m not describing so much the dreams of vocations, but rather the dreams of how we will apply our talents.

Sadly, as we age and lose some of that ability to dream in the daily grind of survival, we let go of that dream, rationalizing that it was the untempered and naive vision of youth.

Letting go of these dreams is a mistake. They offer clues to our purpose and superpowers.

Dreaming of becoming a doctor is a dream to help and heal. You can do that in many ways without attending medical school.

Dreaming of becoming a writer is not at all about publishing a book. It’s about finding a way to use words to help others, to inspire or to provoke thinking.

Dreaming of running a business is likely less about power and money and more about creation and impact for employees and customers.

Think back to what the world felt like when all you had were your dreams for the future.

Instead of letting the hardships and realities of life force you to let go, grab the thread that remains and find a way to reel it in and bring it to life.

Medical school may be out of the question, but that’s not the point. Reframe the dream to focus on your true intent.

You’re old and wise enough now to see what you intended and how it can be realized in different formats.

And then do something about it.

The Bottom-Line for Now:

Rekindle that dream from your youth and focus on uncovering the true purpose. Imagine what it will feel like when you pursue and then live it. And then find those things in life that are anchoring you to your less than ideal reality and just let them go.

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