this article first appeared on Care2.com by Lauren Bowen

Letting go…it’s so hard isn’t it? One big blow and faith that life works out as it should just goes out the window. But learning to live life with open hands is a skill (and yes, I do mean skill) that we all must cultivate. Without a willingness to let go, cynicism, stubbornness and controlling behavior become king. And who really wants that?

Letting go means allowing life to unfold the way it was meant to. Letting go means framing failure as an empowering opportunity to learn and grow. Letting go means abandoning revenge, pursuing forgiveness and accepting that the past is already behind us.

Sound like something you need a little more of in your life? Here are some ideas for how you might practice letting go. It will be so worth it.

1. Forgive a past hurt. Right now. No more stalling.

2. Release yourself of a specific, unnecessarily responsibility.

3. Set a goal, but skip the planning process.

4. Practice compassionate meditation.

5. Delete the contacts of people who you don’t have a future with.

6. Sit in a place filled with nature. Do nothing else.

7. Bring a past failure to mind. Claim what you learned, then leave it behind.

8. Let a lighter attitude take over.

9. Take something off your plate.

10. Do something that forces you outside your comfort zone.

11. Say goodbye to a toxic relationship in your life.

12. Take a new path home. Don’t use your GPS.

13. Drink a cup of tea. As the liquid disappears, let your worries go with it.

14. Consider your future. Would it really be so bad if it turned out differently than you expected?

15. Next time someone has an ask of you, just say no.

16. Choose joy in this moment.

17. Locate something you currently envy. Locate why you feel this way and dismiss your “need” for it.

18. Look at your calendar. If something strikes you with anxiety, ask yourself why.

19. Release yourself of grief.

20. Enroll in a class to learn skill far outside your norm.

21. Consider how your body feels in this moment. Any pain or tension? Let it slip away from you.

22. Celebrate that you are still here.

23. Start a gratitude journal. Record the ways you experienced life as being “enough” for you today.

24. Choose not to host an upcoming event that is traditionally yours.

25. Call someone who hurt you. Be honest about your feelings. Then forgive them. Fully.