“Morita explained the idea of letting go of negative feelings with the following fable: A donkey that is tied to a post by a rope will keep walking around the post in an attempt to free itself, only to become more immobilized and attached to the post. The same thing applies to people with obsessive thinking who become more trapped in their own suffering when they try to escape from their fears and discomfort.”

― Hector Garcia Puigcerver, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

I once was trapped in my own suffering, I picked up this book early in the year. But didn’t feel called to finish reading it until after I had a chance encounter with a lovely young woman. She had Ikigai as her screen saver and a tattoo on her arm, I took this as a sign to continue reading. So I did and the wisdom within was ready for me to digest.

Reading this excerpt in particular really helped me realize that although I am committed to living my purpose, to do so fully requires letting go of any need to suffer. The desire to let go significantly outweighed the part of me that’d been in a loop, repeating past energy and mindsets connected to this unwanted need to suffer. Since reading Ikigai, negative feelings I’d ignored resurfaced and this time I was able to face them. Acknowledging ones feelings is the first step to letting them pass through. This is a lesson I am still learning, each day I practice letting my energy move through me. Releasing what is not wanted with one breath at a time. Practicing what I love and focusing on what brings me joy keeps me from the past. As my mind has shifted so has my environment and the people in my life. Like attracts like, those who are also walking the path of less suffering have joined me in my pursuit.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it left me feeling lighter and inspired. To know there are communities thriving off of love and a natural rhythm to life lets me know my dreams are not futile. Some day I’ll be living off of life and what it brings to me, suffering long gone and a part of my past.

The idea of letting go kept me in a loop. The act of letting go has given me release.