Letting Go Can Be More Powerful Than Adding More When It Come To True Happiness
Oct 01, 2026💭 Go deeper: We talk more about this in episode #289 of the Joy Lab Podcast
Letting go sounds so easy. Of course, it isn't. If it were, we wouldn't be ruminating over the what-ifs, should-ofs, and if-onlys so often.
In our first episode on our new Element of Letting Go, we're taking a bit of time to name exactly what makes the grip so hard to loosen and why building this skill of Letting Go is worth every bit of your effort.
We define Letting Go for this series as the skill of loosening your grip on the thoughts and behaviors that keep you anchored to the past, resisting the present, or anxious about the future. We also see it as allowing things to be as they actually are. Which is, paradoxically, where you find more agency (not less). When you stop pouring energy into controlling what can't be controlled, you get that energy back. You can see more clearly what's in front of you and you can take wise action instead of reactive action.
Importantly, Letting Go is not suppression, avoidance, or the Disney version of "turn away and slam the door." Letting go is closer to what psychologists call psychological flexibility or non-attachment. It means we have the ability to engage fully with experiences, emotions, and relationships without being controlled by the outcomes.
And again, this is tough stuff! Even when the path is clear, even when letting go is obviously the answer, we often grip harder. Because familiarity feels safer than the unknown.
Our Letting Go series ahead covers four areas where the grip tends to be tightest: unhelpful thoughts and rumination, the bigger stories we tell ourselves about who we are, the myth that we need closure to move on, and maybe the hardest one of all... letting go of control. Tune in for the whole series to build your skill of Letting Go. It's worth your time. As Anthony de Mello wrote: "You don't have to add anything in order to be happy; you've got to drop something."
Listen to Episode 289 to open the Element of Letting Go and find out what you might be ready to release.
