Letting Go of Whats Not Working for You

OCTOBER 5, 2012 BY DARMITAGE 6 COMMENTS

From Alberto Villoldos book, The Four Insights, here is a simple exercise that gets you involved in letting go of
what you know, or in his terms, practicing beginners mind
!hen we practice beginners mind, we learn to let go of our preconceived notions As "esus said, #o enter the
kingdom of heaven, you must become like a child !hen we practice the art of letting go, our lives become much
simpler when we arent weighed down by the baggage of our stories and our expectations !e stop being $aded and,
instead, open ourselves up to the opportunities presented to us #his is a life%changing exercise
&ake a commitment to yourself to set time aside for the following exercise as you begin to let go and open yourself to
new directions'
Achieving Beginners Mind
We can return to a more creat!e, o"en, c#$%$&e 'a( )( ma&n* +m"$e
c#an*e+ n our routne+ an% #a)t+, +uc# a+ eatn* 't# t#e o""o+te #an% 'e norma$$( eat 't#, ta&n* t#e route 'e
ne!er ta&e, an% +m$n* n+tea% o, ,umn* '#en 'e-re u"+et. We can +#atter our com"$ct( 't# t#e me%ocrt( aroun%
u+ an% o"en our+e$!e+ u" to a muc# '%er ran*e o, "o++)$te+.
O, cour+e, t-+ m"ortant not to *et +tuc& n t#e $tera$ nter"retaton o, t#+ "ractce. T#ere 'a+ a CEO o, a ma/or
cor"oraton '#o 'a+ to$% )( a con+u$tant t#at #e 'ou$% )ecome more creat!e , #e too& #+ +#oe+ o,, '#$e atten%n*
)u+ne++ meetn*+. It ma( #a!e ma%e +ome %,,erence n #+ a)$t( to )rea& out o, #+ u+ua$ 'a( o, t#n&n*, )ut t#+
*e+ture on t+ o'n 'a+n-t enou*# to ma&e a %,,erence n #o' #e ran #+ )u+ne++. 0e t#ou*#t #e-% ,oun% a ma*c
)u$$et, a +#ortcut to creat!t(, )ut #e 'a+ on$( )rea&n* out o, t#e con,ne+ o, #+ +#oe+ on t#e mo+t $tera$ $e!e$. 0e
nee%e% to $et *o o, t#e )e$e,+ t#at 'ere #o$%n* #m n "$ace. T#e +ou$ #e nee%e% to +et ,ree 'a+ not t#e +o$e o, #+
,oot.
T#e ,o$$o'n* e1erc+e '$$ #e$" (ou to o"en (our+e$, u" to t#e ne' )( *ettn* r% o, '#at + not 'or&n* ,or (ou. It-+ a
+"ec,c e1erc+e t#at teac#e+ t#e art o, $ettn* *o.
Exercise: Clear the Junk out of Your Life
To "ractce )e*nner-+ mn%, (ou mu+t c$ear t#e %e)r+ ,rom (our $,e. At t#e $e!e$ o, Ser"ent 2'#c# + '#ere 'e
)e*n 't# our 3Sout#4 cour+e+ at t#e 5our Wn%+6, t#+ mean+ em"t(n* (our c$o+et+ o, a$$ t#e /un& an% 3co$$ect)$e+4
(ou %on-t nee% an% #a!e )een re$uctant to *et r% o,. A,ter (ou %e, (our c#$%ren '$$ t#ro' t a$$ a'a( an('a(. T#+
c$utter &ee"+ (ou te% to t#e "a+t7t#at +tu,,e% anma$ (ou 'on at t#e count( ,ar, t#at co$$e*e +'eat+#rt t#at (ou-!e
out*ro'n an% #a!e no occa+on to 'ear an('a(, an% +o on. You-$$ +t$$ remem)er t#e "$ea+ure+ o, t#o+e e1"erence+,
't#out t#e tan*)$e +(m)o$+ t#at are +tu,,n* (our c$o+et+.
T#ro' a'a( t#at $a!a $am" (ou ne!er $&e%, '#c# re"re+ent+ t#e $,e+t($e (ou t#ou*#t (ou 'ere +u""o+e% to #a!e
)ac& n (our )ac#e$or (ear+. 8et *o o, t#e )oo&+ (ou ,ee$ (ou rea$$( ou*#t to rea% +ome%a( an% t#e cra,t "ro/ect+ (ou
,ee$ com"e$$e% to com"$ete e!en t#ou*# (ou-!e $o+t ntere+t n t#em. A$$o' (our+e$, to $et *o o, t#e e1"ectaton+ (ou
#a% o, (our+e$,, an% acce"t t#at (ou-!e ma%e %,,erent c#oce+.
C$ear out (our attc, (our )a+ement, an% (our o!er+tu,,e% )oo&+#e$!e+ an% CD rac&+. 8et *o o, t#e )e$e, t#at (ou
#a!e to contnue to "o++e++ an( o)/ect t#at m*#t )e 3'ort# +omet#n*.4 G!e t to t#o+e $e++ ,ortunate t#an (ou are,
rat#er t#an c$n*n* to t#e $$u+on t#at t#e more o)/ect+ (ou "o++e++, t#e more +ecurt( an% "ro+"ert( (ou #a!e.
Make your house, your desk, your closet, and your mind minimalist spaces. Then, obsere !hat happens in
your life " and in your mind " oer the next seeral !eeks and months.