Learning how to let go has been a big part of my recovery. Letting go of expectations, letting go of what others think about me, letting go of what others are doing or not doing, letting go of the results of my work once I put it out into the world—the list goes on.
For someone who spent years tightly hanging on to control wherever I could, letting go did not come easily or naturally. Fortunately, early in recovery, I hung out with people who were practicing this thing called the Third Step, which is, quite simply, letting go of control or letting go of trying to control an outcome.
The language that a lot of people used then, as now, is "Let go and let god," but I know that isn't going to work for everyone. It didn't work for me when I first heard it.
Today, letting go means allowing everyone to be themselves and be responsible for their own lives and decisions. It can also mean taking a leap to do something when I'm deathly afraid to do it.
I can let go, turn things over, and trust that even if things fail or I fall, something or someone will be there to catch me.