Let Go of What You Know

release what you know
clear your mind of everything
create a blank slate

What are you holding onto that isn’t serving you?

When I consider this for myself, I often default to my usual suspects:

• activities
• emotions
• expectations
• thoughts
• beliefs
• projects
• people
• possessions
• habits
• rituals

I think of each of these categories as a drawer in a dresser. In each drawer there are plenty of items to get rid of.

Recently I thought of another drawer I hadn’t considered before: knowledge.

What do I know — or think I know — that is no longer serving me?

I’ve always thought of knowledge as something I seek to acquire, and, once acquired, something I strive to retain. I want to build on my knowledge, not get rid of it.

Where does this come from, this idea that more knowledge is a good thing?

Sometimes knowledge can be the ultimate prison, creating a limitation on actions and process.

What would you do if you didn’t know the rules? What would you try if you didn’t know “how things worked” or the “best practices”?

There’s a freedom to being a beginner.

And there’s also the possibility that what you know — or what you think you know — is wrong.

In a fast changing world, knowledge of “how it is” or “how it works” can be an albatross.

Perhaps it’s time to let go of what you know and start the new year with a blank slate.