If you love it, let it go

I have a sign posted in my bedroom that simply states, "If you love it, Let It Go. Let it go..." A friend came over recently and asked me about it. Why would I have a sign stating that if I love something I should let it go? I told her it is a reminder to stop dwelling and instead focus on what I can do, change and have. There is no point in hanging on to things that are outside of my control. If I love something and want something in my life I need to make it happen, otherwise, let it go and be free from the stranglehold.

I have been thinking a lot about that in recent months, hence the sign. I came across a great link from my Twitter feed today. There is a fantastic site called Tiny Buddha that focuses on little things that put life in perspective. Ways to refocus and concentrate on what is important in life. I ran across a specific link to a post about being happy by stopping all the hoping. Sounds counterintuitive? Maybe, but read the post, it makes sense. 

The entire post, Do Happy: Stop Hoping, is relevant, but this portion particularly resonated with me:

When you push through today for a better tomorrow without doing anything to create that new possibility your hope creates the illusion of change to come.

When you hold onto the past, hoping to revive a relationship, situation, or time that’s come and gone your hope precludes even better possibilities in the present.

Stop hoping for what can be, what may be or what was. Make the changes you want to make to be where you want to be. It is so easy to live in a what if, if only, when this type of life but until we're all willing to accept where we are now and where we want to be can we cannot forge ahead and make real life changes. No, it isn't easy, but being conscious of the self, of the being is a first step in truly being happy and not just waiting and hoping for that next change.

What will you do to stop hoping and be happy?