When You Decide To Remove All The Toxic Things
Letting go of anything toxic in your life will free you. But know this, identifying the toxic problems and letting them go isn’t easy. You would think it is, but take it from me, it’s really not. It’s freeing, sure. And the freedom is important, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
They say you get to know yourself better when you’re challenged when you’re pushed out of your comfort zone. That’s true. In the last year I’ve been pushed so far outside of whatever comfort zone I used to have, I can’t even remember what it was anymore. It hurt. And it was scary. And there are still some days when I lock myself away to hide the tears, mourning all the toxic things I chose to leave behind.
The reality is, we all have or have had some kind of toxic baggage. Most of us know it’s there. Some of us don’t. But either way, you feel it. Those things you don’t want to do but have to. The anger you’re holding on to for whatever reason. The person you’re refusing to forgive because they don’t deserve it. The friend you feel obligated to keep because of your history but who only ever disappoints you and hurts your feelings. The family tradition you begrudgingly attend despite not having an ounce of desire to be there. Those things, friends? They’re all toxic.
But they wouldn’t be toxic if they were easy to escape. Saying no, walking away, forgiving, and letting go open a part of your heart you try to keep closed, protected.
Doing the right thing for yourself rarely actually feels good. Don’t let that ache in your heart fool you, though. It’s good. It’s right. It’s important.
Recently, I let go of a friend. The friendship became toxic, hurtful, and disappointing. The weight of it kept me stuck in one place, unable to grow. The hurt started to outweigh the joy. Making the decision to let it be was anything but easy. I didn’t instantly feel that I’m Free! feeling, hell no! I felt sad. I felt broken. But despite the sadness, there was and is a peace in my heart. The tiny whisper in my ear telling me I did the right thing. Almost immediately, good things started happening for me. I let go of a weight that was pulling me down.
To experience true joy, you have to eliminate anything toxic. In order to launch yourself into success, you have to free yourself from what’s weighing you down. That doesn’t mean it’s going to feel good, but it does mean it will be right.
A theory I like to apply to anything important is it should feel good. Your family should make you feel good. Your friends should make you feel good. Love, that feels good, too. When those things start to habitually hurt you, they become toxic. Walking away will never be easy.
But you deserve happiness.
You deserve success.
You deserve to feel good.
So let it go.
So let it go.
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