Learning To Let Go of Control

During a recent vacation, I picked up the book "From Chaos to Confidence, Surviving Strategies For The New Workplace" by Susan M. Campbell. It was an enlightening read. I was specifically impacted by her concept of how to practice the art of letting go, and I think you will be, too.

Since several of my speaking/training programs focus on how to manage change in the workplace, I was delighted to see how Campbell's book supported my beliefs, and yet also deepened my own understanding.

Her point-of-view is that we have trouble with change because we don't approach life or work as a continual learner. We find confidence in what we know rather than continually looking for a greater understanding/learning, and that ultimately holds us back.

Here's a quick look at six common ways we block learning by holding on, as featured in Campbell's book.

1. Holding on to a self-perception or habits that no longer serve you.

The main thing to take away from this point is that we too often hold on to patterns in how we work and live because we benefit from them, giving us a false sense of security or confidence. These pattern benefits won't last forever (in fact they may have already expired), and we need to recognize that by persistently trying to learn, we can constantly build new habits that benefit us.

2. Fear of the past repeating itself.

We've all taken risks or put ourselves out there and then it didn't work out. If we hold on to that fear, we let it drive our careers and lives - which never gets us to our goals! You can't move forward until we let go of the past.

3. Fixating our attention on things we have no control over.

I see this all the time. The key is to turn your attention to what you can control, and let go of things you can't do anything more about.

4. Avoiding our feelings through addictive or compulsive habits.

Whether it's gambling, food, or emotional outbursts, we often defer to the things we can control in our "outer" world when our "inner" world is out of control. These too are aspects of life we must let go of.

5. Suppressing our feelings.

I love this line of Campbell's - "What you can feel, you can heal. Expressing feelings is a form of letting go."

6. Trying to control other people.

You can never perfectly predict how your coworkers or manager will act, nor should you. This is out of your control - and the sooner you can accept that, the better.

I hope you'll dig deeper into this topic by reading "From Chaos to Confidence, Surviving Strategies For The New Workplace" for yourself!

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