Giving up Vs. Giving it up

"If you own something you can't depart with, you probably don't own it; it owns you." - Andy Mineo

I read over this quote probably 50 times.  The direct relation this quote has to my life is astounding.  

Have you ever done something or had something that you really don't care for, or hold on for the sake of just keeping it and cant manage to muster the strength to get rid of it?  Have you ever thought about what that might say of you?  That you have let an object or action that no longer provides value to your life dictate how you live?  

Sounds crazy when its put like that, huh?  

Its bizarre to me to think that every day we allow our lives to be micro managed by things that we hold onto that we either don't particularly enjoy or things that we have given up attempting to gain control of.  We hold on to them because they represent history, or remind us of what once was, or allow us to hold on to something that has been long gone.  The problem here is in doing this, while we may have a sense of security in holding on, we begin to eliminate chances of moving forward.  

We have this problem accepting what once was great as an end of a chapter, or what once provided joy as a past and choose to let those memories and moments of nostalgia cloud out new and improved opportunities that come our way.  

Now, no doubt, it is certainly difficult to let go, it is no easy task, but we have to let go of this fear of being inadequate; a quitter:

someone who gave up.  

We need to learn to embrace the possibility of starting over, or starting something new.  

We aren't quitters, we are just letting go of what doesn't make life enjoyable anymore.  

I have found I often mix up 2 very different actions: giving up on something and giving something up.  When you give up on something, it is clear that the dream, object, or action you had once seen such potential in, still controls your future.  Chances are, you will think about it every day and along with it all the regrets, could haves, and "wish I had done's" and let the disappointment of it grip your being and take great territory over your heart and future.  Giving up is reminiscent of pitying yourself.

"I just cant do it"

"It is too hard to accomplish"

"There is no way I will ever be good enough to attain it"

Giving up leaves a person copious amounts of room to feel bad for themselves and make excuses for why they let their vision of what they could have control them.  It is so easy to get obsessed and overwhelmed with something because of the potential in holds or the potential it once held. When reality sets in of what it either entails or what it once entailed, it becomes either a make or break moment.  You choose to either pursue it and do everything in your power to achieve it, or you give up on it.  Giving up is a dangerous choice to make.  It will taint your faith and  diminish your hope in developing new ideas, and will make you bitter and despise old ideas that once seemed great. 

This is not always the case though.

You can give something up.

Much different than giving up.

Giving something up establishes a much more equal ground between heart and mind.  When you willingly give something up, you make a logical choice.  You arrive at a decision based on weighing different possibilities, outcomes, and areas for regret, and make a balanced decision to act on that would satisfy these categories to the best of your ability.  Giving something up is such a brighter way of letting go, and a much easier way to ease out of "what could have been." 

Understanding that you are giving something up turns "I cant do it" into:

"There was a time when I really wanted to do it, but as of now I don't want to do it and these are my reasons."

It turns "It's too hard to accomplish" into:

"I know that I am not willing to work hard enough to accomplish it, and there are other things I will be willing to accomplish, so I am giving this up so I might take on something I will be more successful at."

And lastly, it takes "There is no way I will ever be good enough to attain it" into: 

"I thought that I had the skills to achieve this, but I am not willing to develop my skills further to make it happen, so I am moving on to something I am willing to put my heart and soul into."

Do you see the difference?

Whether you want to describe it as seeing the glass half full, being radically optimistic, or maybe just too "happy," it is really an excellent way to decipher between not being capable of doing something, and acknowledging that you're lack of desire to make it something great.  If you acknowledge that this thing you are letting control your life will not propel you in a direction to happiness, you can make an emotional but logical choice to move onto something different so that you might be satisfied. 

It is so numbing and disheartening and easy being someone that gives up.  It is hard to be noble and give something up.  But giving something up will be the best choice you ever make as well as the hardest.  There will be a moment of clarity and liberation that will explode upon letting the weight of old dreams you no longer see value in go and embracing the chance to discover what will bring you joy NOW. 
Some things will be worth pursuing and will be worth whatever obstacle that is presented to achieve that final goal, and some goals will be so outdated but safe that if one approaches its departure from their heart, their mind, and their soul logically, they can avoid the post-Giving Up pity syndrome.  The most important thing is being honest with yourself, and being realistic with your heart and your mind.  If you can persevere and propel yourself toward a goal you see for yourself, you will experience a freeing feeling that can only be found in giving up what pulls you away from it.  If you can give something up before you give up, you are going to be better off in this life, and take back the control you had thought you lost.