Staying on Your Side of the Street

Staying on Your Side of the Street 

Letting go of control is challenging. In relationships, we feel tempted to control how our partners, kids, or friends think, act, and feel.

On the surface, our concern for others appears to come from in our genuine care for our people. However, when we look deeper we may discover that our desire to "help" or "fix" is rooted in our own fears.

Control is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Our people don’t need us to fix them. Our families, kids, and partners need us to allow them to find courage, strength, and hope within themselves.

When we love someone, it’s tempting to become their "coach," but learning to let go of control means stepping out of the coaching role and becoming their cheerleader.

Most of us have heard this type of advice before. It feels abstract and confusing. Learning to let go of control on a daily basis is much more challenging. Therefore, I'm going to leave you with a technique that you can practice starting today.

For one week, take the words “you and your,” out of your vocabulary. For this week, you can only use, “I, me, and my.” Notice how this simple change begins to shift your relationships with your family and friends.