What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?
The first thing that came to mind upon reading this prompt was the weight I lost over the course of this past year. Since January, I've let go of 40 pounds. It feels great (amazing, actually), but as anyone who's lost a significant amount of weight can tell you, losing weight is about so much more than the weight itself. So, I asked myself, in the process of losing the weight, what things was I actually letting go?
I let go of a way of eating that - when I got really honest with myself - was not aligned with my values of compassion, ahimsa (the yogic principle of non-violence), sustainability, and the well-being of our bodies and the earth. After this realization, I let go of meat, dairy, processed food, and refined sugars, and embraced a plant-based diet with an emphasis on local, organic produce.
I let go of a pretty sedentary lifestyle and gave my body the activity it craved through regular running and yoga. Eventually, my reawakened love for regular movement helped me to realize that the whole commuting/desk job thing was no longer working for me, so I let go of that to make room for a healthier, more active lifestyle and to begin classes in holistic nutrition!
Perhaps most importantly, I let go of some self-limiting beliefs about myself, what I deserve, and what's possible for me. A year ago today, if you'd told me I would let go of 40 pounds over the next year, I would've thought, Yeah, in my wildest dreams. But it turns out, when you let go of that same self-doubt, your wildest dreams start seeming not-so-wild, and in fact, begin bearing an uncanny resemblance to reality.
What (or whom) did you let go of this year?
Image via Sabino.
5 comments:
I need to think about what I let go of this year, but I wanted to tell you that I really enjoy reading your blog.
seriously? 40lbs? i am completely impressed. and feeling very inspired right now. i took out a gym memebership today, with the intention of losing the extra 20lbs i have been lugging around with me for the last 5 years.
Yay for you! I'm so impressed by all you've let go of.
Kudos on the nutrition classes! I think that's something I would enjoy.
Several years ago, I lost 60 lbs and I completely agree with what you noted about weight loss. I felt that I struggled more afterward than I had before. But this year, I finally overcame so much that held back from feeling great about myself. It's so nice to know that someone else has felt that way.
That's such a great accomplishment! I've been working at losing weight for a few months now, but don't seem to be making much progress. Maybe I need to have faith that I can lose the weight and embrace the attitude of changing my lifestyle as well. Way to be an encouragement to all of us!
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