What Everyone Get Wrong When Using the Flying Trapeze Metaphor to Preach About “Letting Go”

Climb higher.

Take the leap.

Let go.

These are popular buzzwords in the world of personal development and coaching. And they are often presented through the metaphor of flying trapeze.

Over the years, I’ve sat in the audience at many events where the speaker put up an image of someone on the flying trapeze and used that as the hook to encourage us to take the leap and let go.

What Everyone Gets Wrong About Trapeze as a Metaphor for Letting Go

As a practitioner of flying trapeze for over 20 years, I cringe a little each time I see someone use this metaphor to encourage “letting go” because they miss the nuance of what trapeze actually teaches.

Anyone who has actually attempted even the basics of flying trapeze learns quickly that what trapeze teaches is not merely the skill of “letting go.”

What Flying Trapeze Really Teaches About Letting Go

What flying trapeze really teaches is the art of timing when it comes to letting go.

In other words, it’s not just about “letting go.” It’s about when to let go.

Laws of physics apply.

If you let go too early, you run the risk of crashing. If you let go too late, you run the risk of getting pulled backward.

Mastering the Art of Timing

In trapeze, as in life, timing is everything.

In moments of great change and upheaval, getting the timing down is crucial. It’s not useful to be ahead of your time.

And holding on to an idea for too long also won’t serve you.

In life, as in trapeze, the difference between success and failure often comes down to letting go at the right time.