A Year of Letting Go
Townsend Wardlaw
My first company cost me my marriage, my net worth, and my health. Now I guide Founders to skip this step on their journey to exit.
Last year was a year of letting go.
I let go of activities, beliefs, and relationships.
My wife refers to this ‘unsubscribing.’
Over the course of 12 months I ‘unsubscribed’ from
- Some friendships
- Hosting social gatherings
- Consumption of news media
- The last vestiges of my partying lifestyle
- Unfulfilling parts of my consulting practice
- A closet full of custom suits I will never wear
- My need to be the smartest person in the room
- Guilt I carried about my relationship with my son
It was easy to let go of things that took away my quality of life.
It was challenging to let go of that which didn’t contribute or take away.
It was difficult to let go of things that were positive but not ideal.
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So why unsubscribe?
There is a story of the university professor who visits a Zen master. The master pours tea for his guest but does not stop when the cup is full. As the master continues to pour, tea spills over the rim and onto the table. "Stop!" The professor cries out "The cup is full!" The master puts down the kettle and replies. "You are like this cup. You come seeking knowledge but you are already full with ideas. Before learning more, you must first empty your cup."
Emptying our cup of activities creates access to time.
Emptying our cup of beliefs creates space for new thoughts and ideas.
Emptying our cup of relationships gives you the power to choose new ways to create your life.
Most important of all, we should remember that while ‘emptying our cup’ allows us to fill it with something new, we can also choose NOT to fill it back up with anything right away.