The Surprising Value of Allowing Our Business & Life to Unfold | Blog

What Letting Go Is Showing Me

Over the last two years, I have found myself on a path of dismantling old ideas and paradigms of what it takes to have a successful business, serve, and contribute to the world in a way that funds my spirit and my life.

I have met my conditioning time and time again. What do I mean by that? I've come face to face with the internal beliefs that have driven many of my actions throughout my career.

For instance,

  • I have to work hard to earn the right to be successful.
  • I have to change myself in small or big ways to reach new levels of potential or impact.
  • I have to push, make an effort, and grit my way to success.
  • It's up to me to make it all happen.
  • If I slow down, I will lose everything I've worked for.
  • If I slow down, nothing will happen.
  • To be more successful, I have to be more ____. (Confident, disciplined, knowledgable, etc.)

And the big one for me, I'm not sure I can trust myself or life. Can I trust the inner nudge to let go, to slow down, or to try another way? Can I trust the unfolding of life and my business versus driving and “making it happen”?

I am still very much on this journey, and I continue to be surprised by the possibilities that emerge when I let go of the old thoughts and conditioning.

When I've trusted the pace of things, the ebb, and flow of energy, productivity, and clients, I've seen the natural flow. When I get curious about what's opening up or what life is offering up versus what's not happening and why – I am guided to new possibilities.

I didn't realize how limited my thinking really was. I didn't realize that thinking it was up to me, getting the right ideas, the right strategies, and the right behaviors was limiting my options.

Thinking it was all up to me was compelling because I have experienced “success.” Meaning I've had a thriving business and work I love for a long time. However, thinking it was all on me and my efforts robbed me of more peace, ease, flow, and joy. When things slowed down, or an ebb was occurring, I would get busier inside and push even harder. It looked like I needed to do more, which meant I often overrode internal clues.

These last two years have shown me there is even more on offer if I am willing to let go, trust, and see the cooperative nature of life.

I've been pleasantly surprised to see that opportunities, new ideas, and collaborations still show up. By listening to and flowing with the natural momentum versus force, I've relaxed and noticed that my fears and worries are nothing more than insecure thinking and imagination having a party in my mind.

As I become more willing to embrace the mystery and allow myself to be in the unknown, life shows me new sides of myself and expands what I can offer others.

What is life offering us? What is unfolding? What do we see if we let go of what we should be doing? What is there, beneath the surface, nudging us?

This co-creative partnership with life, with the creative intelligence behind life, holds surprises. It opens us up to a fresh experience of what's possible. It shows us things we didn't know and offers new expressions. It's unfolding.

It seems that the more I allow the unfolding, something powerful happens.

We unfold, and in the unfolding, the falling away of all our thinking about how it should go, we become more of who we are at our deepest level – our True Self.

This becomes the fuel that funds our work, our expression, our impact, our leadership, and our business.

What might happen if you let go a little more and trust what is unfolding?

“As I become more willing to embrace the mystery and allow myself to be in the unknown, life shows me new sides of myself and expands what I can offer others.

Are you interested in exploring what's possible when you let go and allow your true self to take the lead in business and life? Check out the upcoming YOU BE YOU 2-Day Workshop I'm co-teaching with Michael Neill.

STAY IN TOUCH  Get weekly insights for your business, your leadership and your life delivered to your inbox!

 

Barbara Patterson is the owner of a global coaching and consulting company helping solopreneurs, entrepreneurs & leaders access more clarity, creativity, have greater impact and higher levels of fulfillment in work and life. She is the founder of Beyond Limits in Business, a global platform and community designed to point people to the source of human potential. That potential resides within and is experienced via our minds. Barb is also the host of the Real Business Real Lives podcast. You can follow Barb on Linkedin and Instagram. You can also subscribe to her weekly blog on her website at barbarapatterson.com 

 

 

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Get weekly insights for your business, your leadership, and your life delivered to your inbox!

Thank you! Check your inbox for more info.