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by Svetlana Saitsky
Sometimes, the beautiful thing, is the fact that it ends. “It” being the experience.
Albert Einstein said, "The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once…" This is one of my favorite quotes because it's helped me face my fear of running out of time. Growing up, I felt like I had to rush because if I slowed down, I would not accomplish all my goals. I found myself constantly running places, and always being late. And then I realized that this was not working for me, so I started to find ways to change my attitude and habits.
I became fascinated with the concept of time and decided to study my mentors- individuals like Oprah, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Tony Robbins and Elizabeth Gilbert. I figured that between a media mogul, the richest man in the world (who donates billions to charity), a business iconoclast, inspirational teacher and bestselling author - I'd have a few lessons to learn.
Perhaps the most important lesson that keeps creeping its way into the curriculum of my life, is the lesson of letting things in life flow. The other day, my dear friend and colleague Tammy said "endings are a seal to what was good" and I instantly lit up. I loved this. She put a positive spin on something that initially seems negative, and this is inspiration in its purest form - a shift in perspective.
Everyone has a story, and either you control your story, or your story controls you. What we ultimately choose is up to us - and our choices create our universe. We can choose to be open to people, places, new opportunities and moments and we can also choose how we react when things end, change or evolve. We cannot always control what happens, but what we do have control over is how we react to what happens.
Here's what my mentors have taught me about going with the flow and letting go:
Overcrowding is overwhelming. Too many people in your life at once causes congestion, so keep the very special ones close and rejoice when someone leaves because this creates space for someone new and inspiring to enter.
You learn to give, when you practice receiving and vise versa. Nothing creates a constant flow, like the cycle of giving and receiving and most people are either good at giving or receiving, but I believe that everyone can become good at both. Here’s how: start by practicing the one that comes most naturally to you and it will spark appreciation for the other. The best way to practice is by giving and receiving genuine compliments.
Own your own power, as it related to letting things come and go into your life. And just to clarify - I am not suggesting you let everything go. Hold on to the people, places, and moments that make you feel loved, joyful and inspired for as long as you can. Just don't force them to stay in your life if it's time to let it go. How do you when when it’s time? Typically, it’s time when you question whether it is.
I believe that after 10,000 hours you can blink, and if you’re unsure of my reference here, I’d suggest you check out Malcolm Gladwell’s books Outliers and Blink. These books have helped me tune into me, and what feels right for me as it relates to life, love and business. The more I study and practice, the easier it has become to let the rights things come and go.
It's not about not holding on to anything so much as it is about holding on to the right stuff. You’ll know what is right and who is right because the right stuff just is. And the more you tune into your truth, the most apparent this will be and just like everything, this requires only one thing - practice.
About Svetlana
Svetlana is a Creative Iconoclast who strives to inspire through her work as a photographer and writer. With her entrepreneurial spirit, business school education, corporate experience and artistic savvy, Svetlana combines left-brain intellect with right-brain creativity and resides in San Francisco, CA while working on her first book on Inspiration. A modern day Renaissance woman, she believes in exploring a variety of passions daily and when she is not taking photographs or writing, you might find her salsa dancing, singing, eating avocados and hanging out in coffee shops all over town. To explore Svetlana's work, please visit her here!
