Living By Letting Go of Control

With the end of 2022 approaching, I’ve been reflecting on how, for me, the theme of this year was very much about how I want to show up in this world. I’ve spent a lot of time unlearning rooted misconceptions, unearthing new realizations, and unveiling hidden desires.

None of this happened on my own. It was thanks to my friendships and my family, as well as lessons learned at work and also from strangers, that taught me new lessons and how it all contributed to how I wanted to show up. I’m not 100 percent sure what that looks like, and that’s okay - I’m not supposed to have all the answers. What I do know is that, whatever I do, will be something that aligns with what I want and what I value most in that present moment. 

When I first started this blog back in 2019, I had a very rigid idea of what I wanted to write about, and planned out all my blog posts for the year. I wrote my scheduled post at the time I planned it for, even if I didn’t feel like the topic resonated with me - I planned it, so it had to be done. 

Now, my approach is quite literally the opposite. I know I release a blog post every other week, but I write about whatever comes to mind at that moment. I let conversations I have with friends, or family, or something that happened around that time, influence my writing. Now, whenever I write something for my blog, it’s about something that deeply resonated with me at that moment. 

Instead of viewing my blog like an item on a checklist that needed to be done, I now view it as a creative way to put my thoughts to paper - and see where it takes me! That is how I plan on living now and moving forward. I want to simply be open, and to be present, and believe that life is happening for me rather than to me. 

I’ve started adapting this mindset over the past couple of weeks, and it’s a bit wild how your viewpoint changes when you realize you live more when you let go of control. You’re focused on how things are going rather than how you think things should be going. 

Over the past several years, I’ve worked to accept my hearing loss as something that happened for me, instead of fighting it by trying to control every aspect of my life because of it. For example, I used to go in person to places to book appointments, because I was so worried about calling and messing up the booking because I couldn’t hear properly. Now, I adapted and tried calling instead, and I am transparent about hearing loss if I mess things up by accident. Whatever happens, happens…and I try to roll with it, rather than fight it. 

I learned a lot about myself this past year, and I know I’ll learn just as much next year, and the year after that, and so on. I’m going to stay open to learning more, and living life in a way that’s true to myself, and my values. 

2022 was very much a year of learning, and I already know that 2023 will be a year of integrating what I’ve learned into my life. I’ve done a lot of integration already, but I have a feeling that 2023 will be taking on those integrations on a much larger scale. 

While I’m not posting anything for the rest of the year, be rest assured that I will be spending the time unplugging, relaxing and simply being in the present, so I can show up better than ever next year! I hope you are all doing the same!

It was a joy starting this blog back up again, and I’m so excited to bring these posts back in 2023 after the holidays.

Lots of love,

Karina