When you have the opportunity to be alone, take it. Being alone gives us the chance to just sit with ourselves and see if we’re happy with that. A lot of people don’t like this feeling and have to be busy or around other people to avoid it. Staying busy and the noise and activity of people keeps us from sitting with ourselves. We have to like ourselves before anyone else will.

Being alone and being lonely are two different things. One contains solitude and the other contains insecurity. You are the only ‘person’ that can make you happy. We look for happiness in other people and things. Having been through the gambit of materialism which gave me a mountain of stuff to take care of. What I needed to take care of was me.

Letting Go of people, places and things is what I had to do. Once those were removed all I was left with was God and me. I knew God had a plan that was much better than any plan I could construct. My best day of thinking got me a 16 year membership, thus far, to Alcoholics Anonymous. I was ready to dump all my junk and follow God.

Sitting with yourself doesn’t mean a thinking session and trying to fix what’s unbalanced in your life. It truly means sit, breath and listen. Here is a breathing technique to empty your mind from Lesson One of Letting Go.

To breathe peacefully:
1. Close your eyes
2. Take in 3 breaths
3. Let go of the last breath and wait for your body to breathe by itself
4. Be patient as you wait
5. Allow the inhale to occur as much or as little as it wants
6. Let go of your exhale and wait for the inhale to occur
7. Focus on consistently letting go of your exhale
8. Relax your body as your exhale occurs

Breathe for at least 10 minutes until you are very calm. Once you are calm, focusing on each breath, observe when a thought arises in your mind. (Note – You are not looking to think. You are just being aware when a thought arises.)

1. Write this thought down, unedited
2. Return to breathing and being peaceful
3. If another thought arises, write this down, unedited
4. Return to your breath and being peaceful
Continue writing all thoughts as they occur. Do not focus on the thought. Do not consider the thought. Simply write it down and return to your breath. Allow your mind to empty.

This exercise will:
1. Enhance your ability to obtain a calm, peaceful state
2. Clear your mind of clutter-thoughts
3. Clear your emotional center from negative energy

There is something therapeutic when it comes to writing on paper. The thought travels from your mind, down your arm, through the hand and pen, onto the paper. It’s a mental, physical and emotional release that is well worth the time.