Don't know about you guys, but I'm always blown away that when I let go of something old, something new (and better) always fills its place.

I think many of us have a habit of holding on to 'stuff' - this might be old habits, old thoughts, old flames, old clothes, old websites, old courses... the list goes on but you get the picture.

So I wanted to share with you how 'letting go' has impacted both my personal life and my business and offer some suggestions around how we can do this in a couple of different ways.

You may not know, but back in 2021 (after a couple of horrid years), we made the decision as a family to sell our home in the city and move 9hrs away from the only region we'd ever lived. Hubby and I were born there, and so were 3 generations before us... plus our own kids.

We'd lived in this house for 21 years, kids had been raised, dogs too - it was actually the first house we'd rented together when we were 23, and we came back to buy it 7 years after that!!!  So to say it held special significance is an understatement.

This is us moving in, and moving out. (Yes, I'm in tears 😢)

Have you ever felt that sometimes the life you're living is not really your own?

You're just a pebble in the stream that's really been pushed from one side to the other.

Well that was us, only it took us many years to work this out.

We had a constant niggling feeling that there was something more, a part of life that we were missing and we couldn't quite work out what. 

We'd feel it most after every holiday... we'd come back and vow that we'd start living like we were on holidays... right down to the house and everything in it. 

We weren't going to have fancy China that only came out on special occasions, if we had good stuff we were going to use it every day. 

Same with styling the house as though we were on a beach vacation -- it had this calming effect on us, it was like a little sanctuary where we could retreat to after an exhausting day.

And everyone that came to visit would comment... even though the house was over 100 years old (an original beach cottage), folks would comment about the 'feeling' of the place.

Now in order to keep it this way, there was a constant effort to 'clean stuff out'.
We weren't ones to hoard, but over time, stuff (old clothes, family mementos, xmas pressies you didn't really want but felt bad if you threw them away, family hand-me-downs etc) just crept on in... until eventually you'd wake one day with a renewed vigour to 'have a purge'.

It kind of felt like that emotionally as well.

Businesses came and went, old beliefs on health were smashed and new ones came on board, friends dropped off and new acquaintances came in... it was like the ebb and flow of the ocean.

Slowly over time we began to change not only the physical stuff, but how we felt about life... until one day in 2021 I cracked. It was like what they call the dark night of the soul....

I remember crying like I couldn't stop for nearly the whole day.
(Totally not like me -- aka my nickname is 'Positive Penny').

I was grieving.

I'd finally reached the point where the person I was, the things I believed in, the people I thought cared about me.... suddenly were no longer there.
And my body had to let go and cry for what was and what would never be again.

Now it may sound sad, but truth is I knew this had to happen.
I needed to heal and move forward with a new belief pattern.

I was letting go of all of the old as I had no more room to bring on the new.
Don't get me wrong, I was, and still am, very grateful for all that came before... 🙏
I believe your past is a huge part of you and helps shape the person you become.....
BUT the old 'stuff' had been sucking my energy for way too long.

So with the decision to sell and move away from it all, to somewhere I'd only dreamed about, we put the wheels in motion.
NOTE: I am the first in my direct family line to move away from the area - EVER.

It was scary and exciting all at the same time, and a decision I will forever be grateful for, but one my mum will likely never forgive me for.😢
(Note, I miss my family terribly -- but I get to do the most amazing car journey every so often back down the coast to see them-- checkout the amazing sights I see on the way....)

I'm now in a house and area that fills me with energy, surrounded by nature, and other folks that are on the same quest - to live each day filled with joy and wonder.

And I've not looked back.

I often wonder why I hadn't done it earlier... but then I realise, I was living life for everyone else - thinking I had to be a certain way to please family, friends and the city folk all trapped in the 9 to 5 grind.
My belief system was totally OFF!!!

Our businesses can end up becoming the same. ie bogged down with the old you, or offering certain services because that's what you think everyone else wants you to do, or selling a certain product because it's the latest trend, or charging a price only because you think that's all folks will pay you...

But what's really going on....???
Why are we not living our life in integrity, or true to ourselves.

How did it get to the point where people's opinions on you, your family, your business etc matter more than your own?

It's a great question to sit down and ask yourself, and a humbling one when you realise you may not have been doing LIFE on your terms.

So what can you do to change things if you think this might be happening to you?

In particular, how can you bring your business into alignment with who and what you are, and how you want to serve others?

For me, I bought on a mentor back in early 2020 when I was looking at changing my business model and pricing.

It was a turning point and catalyst without a doubt.
It definitely set up the massive purge that happened in 2021.

I think it really helps to have someone who can be objective about you and your business, not just a family member who'll agree with everything you say.🤣

I'm going to share these points from my mentor, in case they resonate and set you on your own path of change...

• If you look at your business as an extension of yourself, then your pricing will reflect what you think you are worth as a person.
• Find clients that will pay you what you are worth not what you will tolerate.
• Who is talking when you are pricing your product? The old you or the extraordinary you?
• Pay attention to how you feel when you are pricing your work. Fear and a lack of self worth keeps you cheap, no matter how you rationalise it to yourself.
• Pay attention to the language you use when you talk about your business.
• If you have a problem and YOU are your business, then the problem is you.
• Which of these is a more resourceful statement? "The problem I have is...” or “the pattern I need to change is...”.  Choose your language carefully.
• What do you value most? being cheapest or helping the most people?
• I can not serve and contribute if I don’t make this business successful
• Add more value than anyone else and charge accordingly
• What is this belief costing me right now? Who would I be without this belief?
• What is my Why? Why do I want to do a thing? Is it for me or someone else?
• Being inspired on its own is not enough to change your business, or yourself. You have to DO!

Pretty sure it all points to this: in order for change, to bring on the new, we need to let go of old beliefs and everything in between.

→ I let go of an area that no longer felt like home, to gain a new one that feels like I've belonged here my whole life.

→ I let go of the fears around speaking what is true to me,  to gain a new voice and freedom that fills me with joy and compassion.

→ I let go of the belief that I'm not good enough to run my own business, only to gain successes that I could never have imagined.

→ I let go of old friends only to make room for the most amazing and inspiring humans I've ever had the privilege of knowing.

I'm personally not finished in letting go lol, there's still more to go, but...

I recognise it's a journey and one that I'm learning to love.

What have you let go of, that's brought something new into your world? 🤔