Pack Rat/ Letting Go

I recently spent a lot of my time helping my mom clean, clear out, and let go of some junk that had been cluttering our garage for years. It was so bad that you couldn't even park two cars in there and one car barely fit. My mom is a bit of a pack rat and just has a hard time letting somethings go by herself, but once it was cleared and she found the strength to let the stuff go her life (and garage) became so much clearer.

Interestingly enough, I had a conversation with a really good friend not too long ago about a similar problem with letting things go. He is an up and coming business owner with an idea that is taking the world by storm. On the outside he definitely has it together, but on the inside of the business things could be so much more lucrative. He has a co-worker that is just not pulling his weight. Where most people find something for themselves to do or doesn't need to be told what to do, this guy needs a constant reminder of his role in the business. Even worse, his presence (in my eyes) is taking the business backward instead of forward. They could have so much more business, revenue, and exposure if this one guy would stop being selfish and actually put forth the same energy that everyone else does.

I told my friend a long time ago that he should just let the guy go. Sure he's your friend and you want him to share in your success, but by keeping him around the only thing he is sharing in is loss in productivity. It makes no sense that everyone involved is thinking about getting money and this guy is thinking about when he's going to take his next nap. That just doesn't go together.

We are pack rats when it comes to our stuff, they have sentimental value and we don't want to let it go for fear of losing the memories and good times that came with it. We are also pack rats when it comes to people. We try our hardest to get our friends and family excited about our goals only to find out that they could really care less about our journey, but we hold on to them because they mean a lot to us and hope they will one day see your hard work through your eyes.

When it comes to success and building it, only the strong survive. So many people will be out there to tell you what you can't do and what you won't accomplish. If you are weak and hold on to those people, they will take you down. It's up to us to find the strength within ourselves to thank those people for their criticisms and motivation to do better. But it's also up to us to find the strength to let those people go so that we may become stronger, smarter, and more successful.

"People are fickle. Seldom will they be with you when you start your journey to success, but they'll certainly be there once you've found it."

The Unemployed Entrepreneur