3 Things I Let Go of to Make Room for What Matters

Sometimes the best thing you can do is stop.

Not pivot. Not optimize. Not squeeze more into the margins.

Just—release.

In the last few seasons of life, I’ve had to make peace with the idea that holding onto everything—every idea, every opportunity, every expectation—wasn't making me stronger. It was making me tired.

So I started letting go.

Here are three things I’ve gently placed down, and what opened up when I did.

1. Busyness

There was a time when a full calendar made me feel accomplished. But eventually, it became clear: busyness isn’t the same as impact.

When every moment is scheduled, there's no room for clarity to arrive, no space for creativity to flow, no capacity for presence. I was constantly “doing things”, but I wasn’t progressing toward the one thing that mattered most.

Now, I treat stillness as strategy. Downtime is my time to recover from a stretch of work well done. I protect empty space like it’s sacred… because it is.

2. Urgency

I used to believe everything needed to happen right now. Every idea had to be acted on, every message responded to, every goal achieved quickly. But that urgency was rooted in fear—not wisdom.

Letting go of urgency has been one of the most liberating shifts. It’s taught me that right timing creates better outcomes. Fast timing creates chaos, reactivity, and fatigue.

Patience is not passive—it’s powerful.

Now, I move at the pace of alignment, not anxiety.

3. Anxiety

Not the clinical kind—but the low-grade hum that usually comes as the plus-one of the pressure to always do more, be more, achieve more. It’s that quiet voice whispering, “You’re behind.”

I started quieting that voice with life rhythms, rituals, and rest. I got honest about how far I could stretch my energy and built systems to support the life I wanted to live.

Now, I trust my pace. Peace is my anchor. I believe know I can achieve extraordinary things without sacrificing my well-being to do it.

And you know what? I bet you can too.

One Gentle Action for You:

Let go of one thing today. Just one.

Cancel a non-essential task. Say no to a commitment that doesn’t align with your goals.

Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” for a day. Take a walk without turning it into a productivity hack.

Give yourself permission to release something… and watch what beautiful things rush in to take its place.

We don’t always need to add.

Sometimes, we just need to let go.