“When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, Let It Be.”
–Paul McCartney
We are all leading busy lives, balancing work, travel, family, home life, and more. The economy is falling to pieces. Our politicians are in an uproar, throwing daggers at each other on a daily basis. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and other tragedies fill the headlines. It’s easy to become overwhelmed.
As concerned as we are about things in our daily lives, there is a point where all the worry and stres of daily life can cease to exist. That point comes in the three simple words that Paul sang so well.
Let it be.
Hundreds of emails cram your inbox. The cell phone rings off the hook. Everyone wants a piece of you, and they all want their needs to be your number one priority at all times. Your mind is going 100 different directions at 100 miles an hour and there’s no sign it’s going to stop anytime soon. Is it possible to slow down? Yes. But how?
Let it be.
The kids are crying, your spouse is wondering why you are never home, the house is a disaster area. You haven’t talked to your parents or siblings or friends in weeks. Going home is supposed to be a respite from the craziness of work, but you feel a like a stranger in your own family right now. How do you reconnect with the people who are most important to you?
Let it be.
The economy is falling fast. Your retirement savings, your mortgage, even your bank account are all at risk of disappearing. There’s not much comfort in the news headlines either – they keep saying it’s going to get worse instead of better. How is it possible to feel secure in the face of so much insecurity?
Let it be.
Every day the headlines tell about some other bad thing that has happened in the world. Reports talk about the scandal on the political scene, the abundance of natural disasters, and how global warming threatens our very existence. How can you sleep at night, with all this adversity around you?
Let it be.
In 10 years, 5 years, or 1 year, will any of the chaos that you percieve in your life right now matter? No. It will be a blip on the screen. You can overcome the anxiety you are living by changing your perception. By letting things be as they are. By not worrying about what is going to happen next year, tomorrow, or even in 10 minutes from now.
All of these things that make your life seem so out of control are that way because they are out of your control! Whether you worry about it or not, clients will continue to make demands of your time. The kids will still cry. Politicians will still argue. Hurricanes will still happen. And, your friends and family will still love you.
So, at the end of the day, isn’t it just better to simply let things be?
Let it be.
UPDATE: Check out what Robert Hruzek is doing over at his blog this month, Middle Zone Musings. His theme this month is What I’ve Learned from Stress, and he’s asking people to send him links to their posts about managing stress. Check it out!!!
11 Comments
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I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.
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Muchas gracias. ?Como puedo iniciar sesion?
One of my favorite mantras is Henry David Thoreau’s “Our lives are frittered away in details. Simplify, simplify.” I don’t like tumult, so as you say, I focus on what I can influence and I focus on what’s really important to me.
[…] Let It Be, by Susan Murphy at SuzeMuse […]
Howdy, Susan! I think you’ve elaborated a good point for this day and age: the things that are out of our control are just that – OUT OF OUR CONTROL!
Do what we can, but ultimately there’s only so much we CAN do. The rest will probably work itself out without us. And only a small percentage of it will really matter anyway, most likely.
Hey, thanks for joining the fray this month at the Zone! Hope to see you next time, too!
Cheers!
Robert
I happen to agree with you 100%. While people should of course be prudent and ensure they’ve taken the safest measures with their lives, be it home, work, financial, they cant fret over it constantly. My favorite saying for YEARS has been “This is just a blip in time.” I always tell people that in 5 years they’ll look back at the “Trouble Of The Now” and say “wow, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it was, look how far I’ve come.” Your post says the same thing, only more eloquently.
Thank you!
Matt
@Liz and @isfan- I’m not necessarily suggesting ignoring problems. To me, the words Let It Be means not allowing yourself to become troubled by the challenges of life, but rather to accept those challenges as part of life; thereby allowing yourself space to move beyond being identified with the struggle and into a place where you can think clearly and address the issue. Letting things be means giving things the space they need.
Hey Suze – great concept but sometimes it’s better to compartmentalize and tackle each challenge separately rather than walking away. I believe in a more proactive approach. But I like the idea of calming before entering…
Couldn’t have said it better myself, Susan (and wouldn’t even have tried – it would have been nowhere near as eloquent as this!)
You’re so right – too many people do get wrapped up needlessly in events that we have no real control over and do nothing but cause us stress and worry.
Remember the stock market crash of 1987? We’re still here.
Remember the crazy election result 4 and 8 years ago? We’re still here.
Remember the scary 80’s fashions? We’re still here… 😉
The point is, as you say, good and bad times come and go and intertwine all the time. Yet we’re all still here at the end of it, just as we will be this time around.
Not to be a pain here but not sure I agree. You should “let be” those things that you can’t change but other than that, it is not impossible to gain some control of your life.
I’m involved with many things as you know but my email inbox is mostly quiet. If you have 100 emails per day that you think you have to answer there is something wrong. You need to delegate, filter, write fewer outgoing emails and so on.
If everyone is screaming at you and you feel like you’re a stranger in your own home, it is not time to let it be, it is time to act.
Completely agreed and fabulous post!
Excellent post! Sometimes we all need to step back as you have and ask ourselves if we need to be running full steam 24/7.
Brilliant post, thanks for the reminder of a great personal mantra.