Member-only story
Finding Strength In Letting Go
When You Stop Trying to Control Everything, Life Moves Forward
How letting go of control taught me the power of patience and trust
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“Why does everything I touch crumble? How did it all slip away?” I muttered, lying in bed, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle into every fiber of my being. I had given it my all — late nights, relentless planning, endless cups of coffee — yet the one goal I chased remained out of reach: Pulling myself out of the financial mess I had fallen into in Shanghai after losing my income. The irony was that the harder I tried to regain my footing, the more success slipped away. Everything I touched turned to sand, and every opportunity vanished.
“You’re always planning, but nothing’s changing,” my ex-wife said, her voice tight with frustration. “We can’t live like this, waiting for things to happen. What if they never do? I’m already 35!” Her sharp words cut deep into my pride as a man supposed to have the answers.
I wanted to say, “I’m doing everything I can,” but would it matter? She was decent, but the weight of our circumstances made her restless. Everything was expensive, and her friends were moving forward while we stayed stuck, moving nowhere.