5 things to release this season (so you have room for what’s next)
Fall is showing off. 🍂
The leaves are glowing orange and gold, the air is crisp, and there’s a pumpkin-spiced something on every corner.
→ Here’s what may go unnoticed: those gorgeous leaves are letting go.
The tree doesn’t cling to them out of loyalty. It releases what it cannot carry through the winter, so it has the energy to grow again in spring. Nobody calls that failure. We call it beauty.
So why do we treat it so differently when it’s our turn?
Maybe you have a closet full of "someday" clothes, a calendar packed with commitments that drain you, or a goal you have been dragging around for years.
You know it’s time.
But letting go feels like admitting defeat, or wasting what you’ve already put in.
Let’s be honest: it can feel scary. Even when what we are holding doesn’t fit anymore. It’s familiar. And familiar feels safe.
But here’s the good news. Letting go is not losing. It’s making room.
Here are 5 things worth releasing this fall.
1. Goals that no longer fit
That big dream you set years ago? It may have fit then. But you’ve changed, and it’s okay if your goals have changed too. Letting go of a goal that no longer excites you isn’t quitting. It’s adjusting your course.
Do the work: Look at your current goals. Which one feels like a chore instead of a calling?
2. Old stories about yourself
"I'm not a creative person." "I'm too old to start over." "I always mess this up." These stories can run on repeat for decades, and most of them were written by someone else or a younger, more scared version of you. Time for an edit.
Do the work: Write down one story you keep telling yourself. Then ask, "Is this actually true? Or is it just a story running on auto pilot?"
3. Commitments you said yes to out of guilt
The committee you cannot quit. The event you dread. The favor you never really wanted to do. Every "yes" to something that drains you is a "no" to something that could fill you up.
Do the work: Pick one commitment to step back from this season. Practice a kind, clear "no."
4. Clutter, physical and digital
The junk drawer. The 4,000 unread emails. The jeans you will fit into "someday." Clutter quietly takes up mental space. A cleared-out shelf makes surprising room in your head. There’s several studies to support this.
Do the work: Choose one small space (a drawer, a shelf, your phone's home screen) and clear it this week. Just one!
5. How it "should" look
The perfect career path. The picture-perfect holiday. The way you thought your life would turn out by now. Holding tight to the "should" can keep us from enjoying what is good and what’s right in front of us.
Do the work: Finish this sentence: "I've been holding onto _______" Then ask what it would feel like to loosen your grip.
Letting go is not losing.
Here is the part we forget: every season in nature makes space for the next one.
The tree isn’t broken in October. It is preparing. And so are you.
→ Letting go doesn’t erase what mattered. → It honors what it taught you. → And it clears the path for what is ahead.
You might feel a little bare for a while, like those branches. That’s normal. It’s not the end of something.
Coach Yourself
Grab a cup of something warm and a notebook, Try this: Keep, Release, Maybe
Make three columns on a sheet of paper: Keep, Release, and Maybe.
Then list the commitments, habits, goals and beliefs that come to mind. Don’t overthink it. Go with your gut.
• Keep: It gives you energy or lines up with who you're becoming.
• Release: It drains you, and you've been holding on out of habit or guilt.
• Maybe: You're not sure yet. → That's okay! Come back to it in a few weeks.
Here's a fun way to make it stick: write one item from the Release column on a leaf or a slip of paper. Then recycle it, bury it, or toss it in the compost pile. Small ritual. Big signal to your brain that you mean it. What will you let go of today?
Here is the bottom line.
You cannot reach for new things when your hands are full.
So, this season, let the leaves fall. Trust that something fresh is already on its way.
If you would like a guide on your journey, someone to help you see what you might be missing and to support you along the way, I’m here for that!
Book a free coaching consult and let’s start a no pressure conversation.
Linda