Let Go of the Balloons

​A lot us live out our lives in the day to day, completely oblivious to the power that lies within each of us. If we are lucky enough to work or go to school, we may experience our day’s routines almost like we are on autopilot, going through the same motions day after day after day after day.

Like a balloon that has been let go in the air, we are just floating through our lives.

Some of us may be totally content with the way our lives are. Others may be frustrated by our lack of progress. Maybe we haven’t experienced the level of financial, relationship, or professional success that we want.
Little do we know, we can change.

Most of us don’t realize that we have power within our minds that, if channeled and released, like letting go of a balloon, could change our lives completely. If we are poor and sick all the time, we dream of being wealthy and healthy. When we are unhappy, we hope and pray for happiness to find us. The majority of us live lives of hopes, wishes and dreams, without knowing that we are in control of an inner power that is far greater than all of these things!

It makes sense why so many of us think it would be really, really hard to think positively when we are up against one problem after another. There are times when we are in a circumstance that is outside of our control. It is easy to see how we become depressed and sad when we keep coming up short, again and again and again. It is all very well meaning when people tell us “Oh, just think positively! Just be positive and your life will turn around!”  But let’s say we are at a financial breaking point. Let’s say we have to live with 2 other people in a one room apartment and are working 12 hour shifts a day to keep our kids fed, coming home physically exhausted and emotionally drained. It’s not that easy to tell us to just “think happy.” We are barely scraping by!

Similar to a balloon filling up with helium, the pressure and the stress gets bigger and bigger until we are just about to burst.

When we lack confidence, we are unable to think anything good about our lives. If we have lived a lifetime of ups and downs, of unstable or abusive home environments that created instability and fear within us, it can be insulting to hear that we should just think our way into happiness. When we have spent years or decades living with negativity, and that is all we’ve ever known,  it is a different kind of conversation.

Here’s the deal. Changing the negative habits of a lifetime is extremely difficult, but it is certainly not impossible. We can teach ourselves to release the balloons.

When we are in the middle of our mental self-created despair and panic, there is a way to free ourselves. We have to realize that it is a lot like letting go of a balloon, these dark emotions have no real connection with our problems other than the connection we make with them.

The way out of this mess is to create balloons in our mind and set them free, floating off into the sky.  Here’s how it works:

1. Find a quiet place to relax, either sitting comfortably or lying down. Visualize your life as it currently is. Think about all the worries, anxieties, pains, and trouble. Allow your mind to go over all the things in your life that you don’t like, that present a problem for you. Now mentally create a grey  balloon around each one. Think of each of your problems and put them in a balloon. It might look like putting each of the following into a grey balloon:
   • Needing to lose weight
   • Not getting promoted at work
   • Living in a tiny apartment
2. Keep at it until you have a clear image in your mind of each of the balloons. Then picture yourself clutching the strings to the grey balloons. There may be between 5-6.
3. Now visualize yourself in control of the balloons, and when you are ready, release them with a smile. Watch them float off into the air, and then, picture them floating back down to you. And once again, hold onto the strings.
4. Clutch the grey balloon strings for a few moments, thinking again about what is contained in them and making sure that each balloon contains one of your current problems.
5. Let go of the balloons once again, and watch as they float into the air. Let them move a little further away from you than they did before, then in your imagination, have them float back to you once again. Grab the strings of the balloons again.The mental process of releasing the balloons and drawing them back to you allows your mind to assert control over your problems. Although the process may seem ridiculous, it helps create a muscle in your mind that proves to yourself that you have power over your thoughts. Although the cause of your worry and despair is objective, the actual feelings themselves are created subjectively. It is therefore at a subliminal level that the work must take place. Once you have done the release, bring them back to you, release a few times, you can move onto the next part.
6. Again seeing each of the balloons clearly in your mind, reach out and mentally burst each one, allowing a moment to relapse before each impact. Become aware that the destruction of the balloons is accompanied by the destruction of your worry and despair. 

Whatever our circumstances are, no matter how much we are struggling, we can teach ourselves to let go of the balloons. 

So now I want to hear from YOU! In the comments below, let me know, what balloons are you going to release today?