Not long ago, I found myself halfway through a book I didn’t like. It sat on my nightstand for weeks mocking me with its unread pages. Every time I looked at it, I felt a small pang of guilt. You should finish it, I told myself. You started it, after all.
But every time I opened it, I felt my energy drain.
One night, I paused. I looked at the book and asked myself.. why am I forcing this? It wasn’t enriching me. It wasn’t inspiring me. It wasn’t required reading. The only reason I was clinging to it was because I had started.
That night, I closed it for the last time and placed it in the donation pile. Not with resentment, but with relief.
And something surprising happened.
I felt lighter. Freer. More present.
That book had become a symbol of all the little things we carry simply because we think we should. Unfinished courses, lingering obligations, well-intentioned plans that no longer fit who we are now.
It wasn’t about the book. It was about the energy. The unspoken pressure. The invisible weight of something I no longer needed.
Sometimes, the most soul-honoring thing isn’t to finish what you started but to release what no longer aligns.
You are not here to carry everything. You are not required to complete every task, fulfill every “should,” or uphold every old commitment.
Here’s the truth: not everything unfinished needs to be completed.
There’s power in completion, yes. But there’s just as much power in release.
Some things we simply outgrow. Some we said yes to out of habit, guilt, or hope that we’d one day become someone who cared enough to follow through.
But that version of you doesn’t have to be the one you live into.
You are allowed to say:
“I’m not doing this—and that’s okay.”
“I thought I wanted this, but I don’t.”
“I’m ready to set this down.”
This isn’t about quitting. It’s about reclaiming your energy. It’s about honoring what actually matters now.
There are two ways to lighten the load: Finish the task or set it down with love.
Both are sacred.
Both are allowed.
Both are yours to choose.
So take a breath. Feel your feet on the ground.
What have you been carrying out of obligation, not desire?
Is there something you’ve been meaning to do, but deep down know you probably won’t? Can you name it? And can you offer yourself the grace to let it go?
Living wild awake means tuning in to what’s real for you not what you promised a past version of yourself.
This week, I invite you to release something, big or small, that no longer feels like yours to carry.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash