Are you still holding on to past relationships?

If so, what is preventing you from letting go?

Is it stopping you from moving forward toward new experiences?

Take some time now and think about some of your past relationships and if you are still having a hard time letting go.

This quote by Steve Maraboli is a perfect representation of a situation I recently experienced. Sometimes the end of a relationship can feel like the end of our life. However, as much as it hurts in that moment, it is simply just a part of our life’s history as opposed to the whole story.

I unexpectedly ran in to an ex-girlfriend of mine for the first time since the relationship ended. Would you agree the first interaction with an ex after a break-up could be a bit awkward? However, in my case, it was not. I actually welcomed it. Does that sound weird?

Upon initial contact, neither of us ran to hide behind anything to avoid the other. I was also not immediately looking for any / all exits for an escape route. She may have been but if she was, she did a great job hiding it.

I think when we typically see an ex-partner, what tends to happen? We get this flood of emotion beginning with all of the bad moments, troubles, and issues. I did not experience that though. Since the relationship ended, I spent a lot of time on my personal growth working on my hidden inner-struggles that began to surface while we were together.

If anything, I was extremely happy to see her because I credit our relationship for helping me get to a point where I am now embracing parts of me that I thought it was best to avoid. I also recognized that our relationship together, at that point in both of our lives, needed to happen in order to grow as we move through life.

The relationships we experience serve a purpose to help us grow, not to hold us back or keep us stagnate. However, in order for that growth to take place we need to choose to let go, learn from it, and realize it is a part of our history, not our destiny.

I was able to learn from my experience and I am so thankful for the time we shared together. I hope she also feels the same way.

So, I ask you again, are you still holding on to a past relationship?

If so, then it is time to let go.

Now it’s your turn.

How does this quote inspire you?

Tell me about an experience where you held on to a past relationship, thinking it was the end of the world. Are you still holding on now? What can you do to now embrace it, learn from it, and realize your life will go on?

Contact me or share your thoughts below in the Comments section.

Let’s get the discussion going.

Remember, you are not alone on this journey. Together we can become stronger individuals.

Educate. Engage. Evolve.