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# The Art of Letting Go
- URL: https://www.vasopapa.com/the-art-of-letting-go/
- Published: 2026-09-16T09:14:32.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-16T09:15:24.000Z
- Author: Vaso Papadopoulou
- Tags: Essays, dreams, goals, life,, Growth,, writer,, creative writing,, literature,, wisdom,, emotions,, healing,, Spiritual,, SpiritualGrowth,, psychology, courage,, creativity,, mindset

Which of us doesn't have great hopes, wishes, and goals we would like to fulfill? Of course, in our euphoria we can sometimes go overboard with extravagant ambitions, and after giving them a little more thought, we ultimately cross some off the list. Then there is the more stubborn variation: after a few attempts to achieve a particular wish, we realize, “All right, this is not what I imagined after all.”

But back to the process of sorting things out: Once we separate essential desires from unimportant ones, as one separates the wheat from the chaff, what remains are the desires we feel must, at all costs, be satisfied.

Then we get to work: We plan, devise strategies, and draw up schedules for how everything should and must unfold. We do this so that, in the end, we will be satisfied and happy, overcome by a sense of achievement, and feel worthwhile. At this point, I should mention that our goal can be anything, winning over a partner, securing a high-ranking job, or acquiring a luxury item, for example.

Next, when it comes to achieving goals, some people are fortunate and quickly get what they want; others have to put in a little more effort but are ultimately rewarded as well. Yet others try until they are at their wits’ end and, no matter what they do or how much of their heart and time they sacrifice, cannot fulfill any part of what they desire so deeply. They try and try again, but nada, nothing. It is as though they are under a curse.

Well, some people in occult circles, specifically astrology, might suggest analyzing the birth chart; perhaps it could offer an explanation. Certain planets and planetary combinations in particular houses are said to indicate unfavorable circumstances and a lack of good fortune that someone may experience in life. Others, for example, psychologists or life coaches, would approach the matter through the familiar idea of letting go. Here we are, letting go.

This idea encourages us, through an inner process, to detach ourselves from past experiences and from entrenched, even passionate, expectations and desires. It does not mean becoming indifferent—oh no—but it does mean giving up the struggle against an unchangeable reality. This process clears the way to achieving mental and emotional peace, which in turn gives us the freedom to focus on new goals.

Is this process easy to carry out?

I would say no. It is a painful, wrenching process. People cannot simply let go, especially when they desire something intensely. They identify with the person or object, whatever it may be. Human beings have strengths, but also weaknesses. And is it not precisely these weaknesses that make us human? We can be stubborn and see only what we want to see. We become fixated because we desperately want things to be exactly as we wished and imagined them. Letting go can therefore become a transformative process that takes years to work through: growing up, becoming wiser, and learning not to repeat the same mistakes. This journey can be hurtful. And when we finally emerge as a new person — or, more accurately, as someone a little wiser — we are more cautious the next time about what we make the object of our desire.

But as Friedrich Nietzsche once said: “What does not kill me makes me stronger.”

*©2026, Vasiliki Papadopoulou*

*Image Credit: Gantumur Delgerdalai on Unsplash*