Letting Go of Anchors

I should say that I view anchors differently than some others. Some people see anchors as things that they truly believe in or hold steadfast to. We all should have those kinds of anchors in our lives, I call those pillars. I see pillars as our values and our priorities. Everybody should always have pillars in their lives. When I talk about anchors, I am talking about things in your past that you are not letting go of. Some examples could be a relationship with someone else, the regret of an action you may have done, the way you’ve judged certain people, no matter what form it comes in it’s a weight on your heart that is not letting you be your best self. You deserve to be at your best and live your life to the max!

If you know me, you know that I love the outdoors! Imagine you are on the sea and you have this anchor down keeping you set where you’re at. Now imagine you are trying to move and go somewhere else, but your anchor is still down. You might move a little bit, but you are going to go a lot slower because of the anchor weighing you down. If you want to go faster, you’ll have to get rid of the anchor. You can’t let it hold you down anymore. I have three different ways to help you get rid of your anchors.

The first way is learning and growing. Take some time and reflect on the anchor that is holding you back. Look at it from a scientist perspective and don’t judge yourself for it. Think about how you can learn and grow, and what you can take away from that anchor. When you let it go you will become stronger from the knowledge of what was holding you down. You will still make mistakes, but you will keep getting better and improving. Once you’ve learned and grown from that anchor you can take the chain and toss it overboard.

The way Jesse tracks his gratitude is through a list. On this list there are three categories, one for people, one for things, and one for “other”. He spent about five to ten minutes on each category just thinking and writing down everything he could think of. In the “other” category he has things such as feelings and emotions that he is thankful to have experienced in his life. He reads through this list daily, sometimes even multiple times per day. Whenever he feels down or in a funk, he takes out the sheet and reads it, and instantly everything changes. Jesse really suggests trying this as well, he really believes that it will help you whenever you are down.

Forgiving yourself is important, but forgiving others is equally as important. Many of us are very good at holding grudges but that doesn’t help you in any way, and it doesn’t affect them in any way. They might not even know that you hold this grudge, and if they do know, they probably don’t care. It doesn’t matter if they accept your apology, it isn’t needed. You need to forgive them and feel it in your heart. Again, it can be hard, but once you are able to do that work it is easier to move on from it. It doesn’t mean you need to hang out with them and become best friends, just release the grudge and the hatred. It is stopping you from being your best.

One final strategy I have for letting go of anchors is to give yourself grace. Understand that you can and will slip up. Sadly, we won’t always live up to our own expectations. If you find yourself getting mad for a mistake you made, push away that negativity and give yourself grace. When you make a mistake, forgive yourself, be understanding, give yourself grace. When someone else makes a mistake, forgive them, be understanding, and give them grace. Then apply the first and second strategy as needed and let it go. There is research that shows that you are not at your best physically when you are holding on to negativity. You need to let go of those anchors that are stopping you from sailing away as your best self.

I would love to hear what you think about letting go of your anchors! Please send me a message on social media @Jonesinfor or email me at spencer@spencermjones.com.

Letting Go of Anchors

Letting Go of Anchors - Episode 69