Let That Sh*t Go summary

Think back to moments in your early childhood when you felt relatively free from worry, just checking out things in nature, discovering your surroundings, and completely fascinated with it all. While life has probably brought a load of crap to tarnish that shiny sense of wonder, start the practice of remembering that kid as you go about your days. Do this especially when you catch your chatty mind saying shitty things to yourself, as most of us do.

Ask yourself: Would I say such nasty things to a young child? Hopefully not. And that’s the standard you must follow with your self-talk. Your life depends on it right down to the cells in your body, at least according to one study in the 1990s. That’s when Japanese researcher, Dr. Masaru Emoto, conducted an experiment to see if exposing water to different types of thoughts and emotions would impact its molecules.

Dr. Emoto labeled four water-filled bottles with the words “Love and Gratitude,” “Peace,” “Thank You,” and “You Disgust Me.” Over a period of time, he said things and played music in accordance with these labels. He then examined the water under a microscope, which revealed beautiful, neatly ordered structures similar to snowflakes – except for one. The “You Disgust Me” water molecules appeared, well, disgusting. They almost lacked shape at all. Consider that humans are more than half composed of water. Now think again about what you say to yourself every day.

If you don't speak to yourself in a kind and loving way as you would to a young child, you’d better let that shit go. Replace it with some nicer words. Like the water experiment, you should see your most positive, fundamental traits and strengths present themselves more strongly. You'll reconnect with your true self in a kinder way, which may even allow you to see your flaws in a different light. All of these characteristics add up to the unique combination that makes you, you. Once you own that, there’s not much shit you can’t handle.

That brings us to another mindfulness principle: authenticity. Confidence and clarity about who you are, what you stand for, and what you have to offer will transform how you show up in the world. You’ll also begin to separate what you truly want versus things you may be doing only because you’ve been led to believe you should.

When your wants don't align with your “shoulds,” it creates what the authors call a rock in your shoe. You know, that irritating bit of grit that somehow works its way in on an otherwise pleasant walk. No worries, though. All you have to do is remove it by ignoring outside pressures and looking for a smoother trail that flows with the true you and what you want. Of course, there will still be rocky paths along the way, and we’ll look at navigating those next.