Letting go is an essential part of a minimalist lifestyle. Simplifying your life requires de-cluttering, which means letting go of a few stuff to free up some space. My minimalist beauty queen lifestyle requires more than de-cluttering material possessions. It also includes letting go of some ‘cluttered’ areas in your life. In this blog post, I’m going to share an unusual type of letting go: letting go of yourself.

“YOU DO YOU.”

This is a common phrase used by both young and old to encourage another. This phrase tells us that you are the star of the show. Others have no say in your life. You run the show.

As a life coach, I am all for self-empowerment. My job is to help people discover the better versions of them. I create programs designed to encourage my clients to be more confident. My goal is to develop individuals who are self-assured and ready to face the world. So, when I say that letting go of yourself is one step to living a minimalist lifestyle, you might not believe me. But it is true.

WE DON’T ALWAYS KNOW BETTER

People always want to be in control. We want to direct the movie of our lives. Some of us are persistent. If we don’t get what we want, we will do everything that it takes to achieve it. That was how I lived my life before.

I wanted to be in control of every aspect of my life: work, family, and social life. If something doesn’t go my way, I will do something about it — even if it hurts the people around me. I believed that my methods are always better. But I was wrong. Whenever I tried to fix things, most of them would fail. I’m sure you feel the same way because you have been trying to control your life too.

My journey to living a minimalist beauty queen lifestyle made me realize that things will always go out of our control. We are human, not superheroes. That is why we need someone greater than us who controls all things in this life. This is where surrendering to God comes in.

A minimalistic lifestyle begins with confessing and surrendering your need for control to Him. If you are like me and you crave control, take a breather and submit to God in prayer. Trust that He knows better because He does. He is the God above all things.

One of my life verses says,

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” Luke 9:23-25

Surrender your need for control. Through prayer, ask God to help you remember that you can only do so much. In the grand scheme of things, God is in control. Think of it this way: what is the worth of earthly pleasures if you will lose your soul along the way? If you are having trouble letting go, get a piece of paper and list down the things that you hold on tightly to. Lay the pieces on the floor and imagine that you are literally placing your worries down at the Lord’s feet.

STOP STRIVING AND START LISTENING

We always try so hard to get what we want. Some of us push ourselves to the limit to achieve our goals. As a result, we become tired, restless, and stressed. Instead of striving, it’s best to star abiding.

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the [c]nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10.

In other Bible translations, this verse says “Be still and know that I am God.”

Does that mean you should stop working? Of course not. This verse means that you should stop forcing things out of their will and start listening to what God has to say. Stop striving to make your life turn out a certain way. Trust God and abide in His Word. He will lead you to the right path as He did to me.

LETTING GO OF SELF MEANS TRUSTING GOD

To let go of the self means to acknowledge that God knows better than you. It’s all about trust. It is a choice we have to make. We have to let go trying to make sense of the “whys” of our lives and start trusting God. Take comfort in what the Bible says. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

God holds everything in His hands — including you. You will never understand the extent of His hands unless you entrust yourself to Him. I learned this lesson the hard way; it took years and a lot of hurts before I let go of myself and sought the Lord’s way. It wasn’t an easy road. I had to sacrifice a lot of the things I was already used to. My journey was a bittersweet path filled with worry and regret. Still, I kept my eyes on Christ and pressed on towards His goal for my life. I carried my cross with Him and by His grace, I pulled through. Now, I am freer than ever.

There are times when I doubted God’s path for my life but He never failed to prove that He knows better than I do. This is one benefit of letting go to pursue a minimalist lifestyle: I let go of temporary things and pursue Christ. I have never looked back ever since. The secret to living a minimalist beauty queen lifestyle is letting go of yourself. It is denying yourself of the privilege to control every little thing. Doing so might seem like a risk, but when you actually surrender to the Lord, you will find yourself at peace. You’ll have more time to focus on doing what you can do better. You’ll shine more and laugh more.