Letting Go Of The ‘How’ [ep.138]
The good news is that I was a master practitioner in worrying about how things will work out, and I still kind of am, BUT I learned how to control that side of me. Join me in today's episode, where I teach you how to let go of the 'how', where the need for controlling the outcome comes from, and activities to do instead so you can reach your goals faster!
Topics covered on Letting Go Of The ‘How’:
How does holding onto the 'how' limit your potential and keep you stuck?
What subconscious beliefs might be driving your need to control the outcome?
Reflecting on past magical moments in life and how they happened unexpectedly.
Identifying limiting beliefs that prevent you from letting go of the 'how'.
What are the needle-moving activities you can focus on to reach your goals?
Embracing the concept of meeting the universe halfway in co-creating your reality.
Releasing control and surrendering to the process instead.
What is your surrender destination and how can it help you let go of the 'how'?
The significance of enjoying life and finding a balance between work and personal life.
Quote:
“The only reason to be honest that you want to know the ‘how’ is because you don't believe it's gonna happen anyway.” - Rebecca Haydon
“The universe doesn't deliver if we sit on our ass.” - Rebecca Haydon
Transcription: Our AI tried its best, but expect a few quirky typos in the transcript. Embrace the imperfections and enjoy the read!
[00:00:00] Hello, gorgeous lady. Welcome back to Higher Self & I, I hope you're good. I hope you're well. I have a very, very requested podcast episode today. I say requested, no one's requested it, particularly for the podcast. However, it has come up time and time again. So much so that I'm actually dedicating the whole of.
[00:00:25] August in my membership, the Higher Self Society membership, to be about this exact topic because letting go of the how comes up so, so often with so many clients, with so many potential clients, with people that I just speak to in the community. It's something that is really hard to do, and it was a big, huge part of my journey and so much so that I used to have a post-it note that went on my computer that actually said, and excuse my language, fuck the how, because I was so consumed by the how.
[00:01:11] This would've been 20 20, 20 21. I was so consumed by how it was gonna work and how it would look, and how it would be, and how my dreams are gonna become my reality. And I got so consumed by the how that I could not move forward. I. I couldn't take the action. I couldn't see the opportunities. I couldn't allow myself to see how different it could be because maybe the way that I was thinking about it the way I thought, the how would happen didn't actually be, or didn't actually become how it happened.
[00:01:49] As always, we We know that, don't we? We know that. We know that consciously and the conversations that I've had, especially in the Higher Self Society membership, if you are not part of it and you want to be, I will pop the link in the show notes come along. The breakthroughs are just incredible in there and there's so much juice in there each month.
[00:02:10] But every time we come back to the how, And a lot of the, the women inside there may, you know, say that it makes them feel really anxious or makes them feel really nervous or like really tight and frustrated and there's so much feeling around holding onto the how that it keeps us stuck. It keeps us in that space because if you imagine like the, the kind of.
[00:02:34] Energy and the, the force and the, the feeling behind, but how, but how, but how, like you are so tightly gripped on how, or finding out how it's going to work, that I almost see that your palms are completely clenched. You know, everything's in, you closing yourself off. You almost put that, you know, like mask on your eyes.
[00:02:58] And you don't allow [00:03:00] yourself to see how it could actually happen and, and be very neutral to how it, how it could happen, and be very open to allowing the how happen without you having to control it. And a lot of the time it does come down to patience. It comes down to an openness within yourself. It comes down to neutrality.
[00:03:24] And it comes down to like releasing the, the expectations or what you think you're gonna get when you get there. And I'm going to be talking about all of this today. Do not worry, because like I said, I am a master practitioner in worrying about how things are gonna work out. It was where I was and I remember.
[00:03:46] The coach that I had at the time, that was one of the things that we worked on again and again and again, and I just couldn't let go of it because I was so worried or I was so concerned that it was never gonna happen, that I really had to know the how. That I really had to hold onto it because I didn't believe that it could happen for me.
[00:04:09] And that's where the how usually slips in the most, it's the beliefs around, well, what if no one, what if no one buys? What if this doesn't ever happen to me? What if I keep this identity of nothing working, nothing's working, nothing's working. And actually, so because we're coming from a place, Of those beliefs, we then hold onto the how, when actually if we did work on our subconscious beliefs where you walked into your business or you approached your business, knowing.
[00:04:45] I get to make sales every single day, or I choose to know that this is going to happen to me, or I'm learning to believe that this can become my reality. Those beliefs are very different and actually much more open, much more neutral, and allows you to really let go of the how, because like I said, the how is you are holding on so tightly to the how because of the beliefs.
[00:05:14] Because actually when we reflect on it, the only reason to be honest that you want to know the how is because you don't believe it's gonna happen anyway. So, oh, if I could just see how it would happen, then I'd believe it. No, no, no. And no new, no. We need to fully embody and step into the reality that could be, and I think it's so easy for us, isn't it?
[00:05:45] As, as humans, and we are hardwired to look at. What's gonna go wrong and to really evaluate the situation and to understand where those lions are gonna come in and chase us. You know, that's, that's the [00:06:00] evolution of us as humans. So we are so hardwired to look at all the things that it would go wrong or to, to really look at, okay, what's gonna go wrong in this if I make this investment, or if I say yes to this, or if I try this strategy out, or it.
[00:06:16] God, if I even believed that it was gonna happen, what bad things could happen. That's where our brain goes, where actually we need to create not only neutrality around what we want, which allows you to let go of the how. And I'm gonna be talking about that today. But we also need to have the belief that it is, or something better this or something better.
[00:06:36] Because nine times out of 10, it's never what you think it's gonna look like and it never happens the way you think it's gonna look. And it turns out so much better than you could ever imagine. And. Just can't wait to talk about this today 'cause I just get so passionate about it. So let's dive in.
[00:06:55] Longest intro ever. When it comes to the how, A lot of the time, um, when I've had conversations with clients or, you know, within the, within my membership or within the community, I always bring them back to this one story. Because actually I would, I would say that any client that has ever worked with me, that I've ever signed, that has ever come into my world, that's ever found me, I couldn't write down how that would happen.
[00:07:26] I. The last people who have signed with me even this week, that have signed with me to work with me one-to-one. I couldn't write the exact date, the exact time, the exact message that they were going to send to me to work with me. Now, that's what you wanna know. You wanna know how that's going to happen. I get it.
[00:07:49] Like you wanna know that, but. Imagine how boring life would be if we knew every single step of the way exactly what was gonna happen at the exact minute of the exact time of the exact thing that was gonna happen. We'd be living life like on the edge. To be honest, it would make me live life on the edge.
[00:08:09] So I always take it back to this story. Now, this was back in the day where I lived in Australia. And I was doing a lot of work with my hypnotherapy clients, so I was working really with, um, kind of weight loss for hypnotherapy. I did stop smoking hypnotherapy. There was a lot of like hypnotherapy work that I did.
[00:08:30] It was, it was way less in the entrepreneur space. And I had gone to co for coffee. To this coffee shop that we used to go to all the time. It was on the way to Aldi, and it was like a window coffee shop that I would go like once a week, twice a week. You know, you get your usuals. So I walked up to this coffee shop and the window on the window sill was a tea strainer.
[00:08:55] You know, like the little things that you put the loose tea in and then you pour the [00:09:00] water over it, et cetera. And I saw this tea strainer on the side and I'd ordered my coffee and the, the beautiful woman who was serving me for coffee, I just asked her, I was like, oh, amazing. Like this is so weird. Like I have wanted to buy some loose tea and I would've been looking for a tea strainer, and here's one on the window sill.
[00:09:23] And we started talking about the different types of loose tea that she sells and how she's really got into it. And the conversation went on and she then started to ask me what I did. So I was like, oh, I do hypnotherapy for weight loss, for stop smoking. I think I'd done like for uh, flying like lots of different hypnotherapy sessions with lots of different people.
[00:09:46] And she was like, oh my God, that's so weird. Like I have been looking for a hypnotherapist for weight loss. And I was like, oh, okay. Lo and behold, she ended up being my client. So after I got my coffee, I gave her my card. 'cause at the time I had cards 'cause I worked in the local area. I gave her my business card.
[00:10:09] She got in touch with me. The next day. We had a little chat on the phone because obviously we didn't wanna do it in the coffee shop. And she signed up and she was the most incredible client, and she had the most incredible results. Now, how the fuck was I to know that on that day, at that time, talking about T Strainers was going to give me the client that came in at that point?
[00:10:35] There is no way in God's earth that I would've been able to know that that was gonna happen. And that's what I mean about letting go of the how, because actually sometimes the most magical things drop in when you least expect them. So if you are constantly trying to control the expectation of it coming in.
[00:11:00] That's when you are pushing it away. And I tell that story time and time again, and I've had loads of instances happen since then. But I always come back to the tee strainer story because there was no way that I would have known that on that day that I was gonna have that exact conversation with that exact beautiful lady who became my client.
[00:11:22] And what I wanted you to do to start off this podcast is I actually just wanted you to have a reflection on maybe some of those incredible magical moments that you've had in your life. Now, it could be with your business, oh, I've got goosebumps saying that. It could be with your business. It could be how you met your partner.
[00:11:42] It could be how you met your best friend. It could be how you decided to move where you were moving. It could be. So many things, but there's just those tiny instances where all of the dots line up and the universe goes, okay, I know you're ready. I know you're [00:12:00] feeling this. I know we're good. Boom. It's exactly how me and Jack met.
[00:12:04] I swear by it that. I had released and let go, and I knew I was unhappy in my previous relationship. I knew that I wanted to move home. I was just in this incredible energy. I was enjoying myself, and me and Jack were just at the perfect vibration of each other to meet on that day, and I really swear by that now, there is no way that I would've come home for a visit to the UK knowing that in a month's time that I would've been moved back.
[00:12:36] And have the rest of my life back in the uk, like there's no way that I would've been able to write that. But I'm now the happiest I've ever been. And actually, if I was holding onto the how I wanted it to look, the how was that I was gonna live in Noosa and I was gonna have this business and do this and have that.
[00:12:53] So if I'd held on that tight to that, I wouldn't have been able to see what was actually gonna make me truly happy. So I want you to have a bit of a reflection on. What happened to you where you were least expecting it or what happened to you when you were like, you know what? Fuck it. I'm just going to let this go.
[00:13:13] I'm going to concentrate on something else, or I'm gonna do something else. And all of a sudden, boom, it comes in. Just have a reflection piece. If you need to put pen to paper, please do. But I think it's just so good to remind ourself that, you know, like what are we actually holding onto the how for. Is it because we wanna know, or is it because we believe it's not gonna happen for us?
[00:13:36] So with that in mind, let's dive into that side of things, because actually the need for holding on so tight to the how, like the kind of need of it. Like this is how it has to happen and this is how I want it to happen. And how, and how, and how. And Becky, tell me how, what belief is that coming from? What belief is that allowing you to hold on so tightly to the how, because your belief is that it's not gonna happen.
[00:14:11] It might be that it might be. Thing. You know, things don't go well. For me, it could be, this is how it's always gonna be. It could be, well, I've always failed, so probably gonna fail again. So if I hold on tightly to the how, then maybe I won't fail this time. If you are holding on so tightly to the how, it is usually down to a belief that you have behind the thing that you're trying to reach.
[00:14:36] So actually, I want you to look at what you are trying to achieve right now, whatever that is in live or in your business. And if you are so concerned on how it is going to happen, I want you to look at the belief behind the reasons why you think you can't have it. Because that's probably where it's coming from.
[00:14:56] It's not the fact that you need to know every single [00:15:00] detail because you don't really, you know, life is topsy-turvy upside down. Things happen when we least expect it. Good things, bad things, you know, like life is unpredictable a lot of the time, and we can't control that. We're, we're human beings. It gets to be unpredictable and we, we have to be okay with that.
[00:15:21] I don't think it's necessarily the how that you are holding onto, it's actually the belief that you can't have it. Ooh. It is the belief that you can't have it. And what belief is that? So what is actually trying to allow you to hold onto it so much? That's where I want you to start. It could be a question of what's making me hold on to the how.
[00:15:47] What's making me not let go of the how? If I knew subconsciously, what was it making me hold on so tightly to this working, what would that belief be? I. And I would hazard a guess that it comes back down to a story that you're telling yourself that you can't have it, that it won't work, that nothing works for you.
[00:16:11] That I'm always gonna be a failure, that I'm not good enough to have it. That nothing good has ever happened to me before. So why? Why would it happen now? Where is it coming from? Number one, that is the first thing that I want you to do because we actually need to work on that belief first in order for you to then go ahead and do the rest of the things that I'm gonna talk about in today's podcast.
[00:16:34] So where is the belief coming from around the reason that you are holding onto the how? Wonder how many times I've said how in this podcast. Anyway, next up, so we've sorted the belief out. We now know that, okay, the belief behind me holding onto the how was because. It's never happened before and I don't believe it's gonna happen now.
[00:16:58] I'm just gonna use that as as an example. So you've worked through that belief. If you need support on that, you know where I am in my one-to-ones, or the membership actually, especially because this month, the month of August, if you are listening, um, We are doing letting go of the house. So you've got a hypnosis private podcast, visualization live q and a, uh, another hypnosis that's not live.
[00:17:21] All of those are gonna really help towards breaking through that belief. So come along, there is a link in the, in the show notes, but what we can then do is then we can start to process how we can let go of the how. Okay. First of all, I would probably say give yourself grace during this time because you have probably held onto the how for quite a long time, which means it's quite habitual in your subconscious programming.
[00:17:45] So your neural pathways are probably very ingrained for you looking at the how, uh, or looking or holding onto the how. So just give yourself grace during this. But these are a couple of steps that I would then do once you've worked through the belief as [00:18:00] to why you're holding onto the how. The first thing I do, and I have done this for so many years now, and this was one of the biggest practices, is what action am I taking to meet the universe halfway?
[00:18:13] Now I'm going to use the word universe because it really resonates with me. I have this concept of how the universe works in our favor and how we can do what we need to do, and then the universe comes in and does what it needs to do in as well. And it meets us halfway. And that's what I love saying, like, I don't have to be doing all of the work and constantly in the work and in the work and in the work I can do what I need to do, the tasks, the actions, the habits, the belief that I need to have to in order to get there.
[00:18:44] And then I can let the universe meet me halfway. And what I say to this is, okay, I've done what I need to do. I know I've done my tasks, I know I've done my needle moving activities. I release and let go. My palms are open. Come on, universe socket to me, and that's how I show up in my life and in my business.
[00:19:06] So what I want you to do, first of all, is actually get to know and to really understand what the needle moving activities are for you to complete or achieve that goal. So yes, this is going to be a bit more strategic. What do you need to be doing? Say for instance, your goal is to attract consistent clients.
[00:19:27] What do you need to be doing in order for that to come into fruition? So, I know for me, the podcast is a really valuable tool for me to truly nurture my audience. You feel like I'm coaching you, I'm in your. Ears. It's really personable. I get to really go above and beyond on the podcast, which is lovely.
[00:19:51] My time has just gone off, and that, that really allows me to, that's a needle movement activity for me. So when I look at that and I go, okay. I've done the podcast, I have got my Instagram, um, grid posts up. I have done my stories. I am sending out my emails. What are the list of things that are gonna move the needle for you?
[00:20:18] So that's really getting to understand, okay, what has brought clients in for me before, it might not look like the Instagram strategy that I use, or the podcast strategy that I use, or the email strategy that I use. It might not look like that for you. It might be networking events. It might be going for coffee and meeting some client over a tea strainer.
[00:20:40] You know, what has allowed clients to come into you before? Really break down that process of how or how, how that happened before. So, okay. I was at this networking event. Okay. Can I add a couple more networking events in. Per month or is it [00:21:00] always through stories? Okay, so I need to make sure that I'm strategically talking to my ideal client on Instagram.
[00:21:05] Always first, first board of call. You know me and you know, am I showing up? Am I selling? Am I speaking about my services? So you are doing the tasks that you believe. Move your needle to a place where you can release and let go. Is it funnels, is it systems? Whatever that looks like for you. Because once you get yourself to that place, and this is where that really beautiful release of, I need to do more.
[00:21:35] I need to do more to get clients, I need to be showing up more and do more and post more and be more like, ah, that is such a bad energy to be in. So if you know what your needle moving activities are, You get to the end of the day and you're like, okay, good, I've done that today. That's a tick for me. I've done my work universe.
[00:21:57] It's over to you, baby. And that way we can have this like action taking, which we still want. You know, the universe doesn't deliver if we sit on our ass. We have that action taking, we move the needles. And if you need help with this, you know, strategy is still as important as the mindset. Please reach out.
[00:22:16] So when you know what your needle moving activities are, have a look at what signed clients, what, how you've signed clients in the past. Okay? How can we replicate that? How can we, how can we really refine that? Is it a couple of places that they've come from? Like what, how like really work out what that looks like for you?
[00:22:35] Then you've got your list, whether it's in your diary, you know, I have my needle moving activities blocked out in my diary, so I know that they're done every single week. So when you get to complete that, we then don't have this mindset of like, oh, well I haven't done enough today, so I've got to do more because no clients have come in today, so I have to do more.
[00:22:54] We don't want that energy around. So you've done your tasks, you've met the universe halfway, and then palms open. I release and let go. I release and let go. Now I release and let go now because you've taken the action, you've done what you need to do. And if you need help in knowing that, please get it.
[00:23:16] But you've done what you need to do to reach your goal. Then the universe can start to bring in the opportunities and because we've changed the belief now to, oh, I'm learning that I get, I deserve the reality. I desire. You are gonna be way more open to opportunities. The Raz system's gonna be really working for you.
[00:23:39] If you haven't heard me speak about the Raz, the reticular activated system, I have a podcast on that. I'll link it in the show notes. So really making sure that we are opening our eyes to what we actually want rather than concentrating on what we don't want. So once we've done that, we can then go, okay.
[00:23:58] I release and let go. [00:24:00] Now I release and let go. Go. Now I release and let go now. And what I tend to find is that bit's the hardest, isn't it? Because we are so ingrained that working harder and doing more and being more is going to get us there when actually nine times out of 10, every client that I have worked with, I would say 90% of clients that I've worked with, when we've concentrated more on them as human beings, on them, enjoying their life, on the hobbies that they have, on the boundaries that they set for themselves on the enjoyment that they have within their business, that's when the clients come in.
[00:24:38] Because you are vibrating at a different level. You are not vibrating in the push. And why isn't this happening? And how is this gonna happen? You are in the, okay, I've done what I needed to do today. Tick, tick, tick. Ugh. What can I do that's fun or how can I enjoy myself for the rest of the day? Or let's pick up my hobby.
[00:24:58] Let's get myself into that Alpha theater brainwave state where I'm really open and creative and I can see the opportunities. Because when we are in the push, when you are in the force, when you are in the, I need to do more to make this happen because I need to know how you are actually closed off. Your brainwave state, it's so closed off that you cannot see what's in front of you.
[00:25:21] And a lot of the time, the the happening is in front of your eyes and you are looking everywhere else for it. It's actually just there, but the, the subconscious programming that you're coming from the Raz is not allowing you to see it. Actually when we take time out or when we get into that creative space or when we just get into that sheer joy or excitement or uh, happiness, that's when our eyes go, oh my God, it's been there all along.
[00:25:54] What the hell? This has been staring me in the face. I'm sure you've said that before. God has this been staring me in the face for this long and it's that realization of like, wow, it's been right in front of me, but I've been that tightly gripped on how it's gonna happen that I've not allowed myself to see it.
[00:26:12] So what I want you to do once you've worked out. First of all, belief behind the how, why you're holding onto the how so much. Second of all, what are my needle moving activities? What does that look like per week? Map it into your diary. This is what I do with my clients. Work it out. Then you go, okay, I've done what I need to do, universe.
[00:26:31] Now you can come in and you can co, we can co-create together, release and let go. So the third step, we've got whoop, step one and two. The third step is your surrender destination. Because I think people, and I find I found this myself, still find it today. Surrendering is hard, right? Because you're like, oh no, I've gotta hold onto that control.
[00:26:56] And if I surrender now, then I won't be in control. But the [00:27:00] surrender can look so many different ways. And I think when we hear the word surrender, or when we hear the word detach, or when we hear the word become neutral to or when we hear the word of let it go. Let it go. We automatically think that we need to be sitting in silence in a room with a Bud Bowl singing round a fire pit.
[00:27:24] And that does not need to happen. I do not do that. So what is your surrender destination? What do you do that you enjoy so much? I said this in the membership yesterday. Cleaning, you can come at me, but I love cleaning and I've done work to understand whether it was a procrastination technique or whether it was a, um, kind of a like, uh, distraction technique.
[00:27:53] And when I really looked at it, it's just something that I enjoy. So much. I sound like an absolute crazy lunatic, but I love cleaning. So when I'm cleaning, like my subconscious is going, I'm getting all these ideas. I'm in this incredible brainwave state that's just allowing me to really enjoy that moment.
[00:28:17] Obviously more things than cleaning, do that for me, but that's an example that I used in a membership yesterday. So, What is your surrender destination? It could be going to the cinema, it could be going for a walk in nature. It could be laughing with your friends, going for cocktails. It could be having or cooking a delicious meal.
[00:28:38] Like what is that surrender destination for you? Because you doing more work and. Pushing more and creating more, and like you are just holding onto it too tight. So what could I actually go and do that's gonna allow me to just release this Now, think about something different. Think about something else, concentrate on something else.
[00:29:00] What hobby can you do that gives you that passion? What hobby can you do that gives you that fire that that really gets you into the alpha brainwave state? 'cause that's when we are. So we're really moving into the subconscious at this point. And if we've done the subconscious work around your new neural pathways, that's when we get all those ideas.
[00:29:20] You know, we get our best ideas in the shower, in the car when we're working because we're in the. Alpha brainwave state, we are letting go of the analytical mind. We are moving into alpha into theater. Theater is where we do hypnotherapy, so we are really getting consciously in the subconscious. That's why you get your best ideas in the shower.
[00:29:39] That's why you want that notepad in the shower. Because you are in an alpha brainwave state, you're doing things very subconsciously. You put the shampoo in the same hand, you do the same routine in the shower. Like we are just in that natural state where things are way more open. The analytical mind almost goes to sleep where we overthink things and we, the ego [00:30:00] comes in.
[00:30:00] So I want you to find your surrender destination and then just really practice letting go of it. You know, like when you are doing something and something that you really enjoy and you've been doing it for an hour and you're like, oh my God, I haven't worried about my business for an hour. That was lovely.
[00:30:19] That's where I want you to be because you've done what you need to do. Let the universe do its work. And this isn't me saying that you don't need to have a look at your business if it's not working and keep kind of pushing it away, et cetera. Like if things aren't working or you've been doing it for a long enough time, you've been really consistent and I mean really consistent for a longer period of time.
[00:30:44] Not a fricking week. And then you believe that the strategy isn't working. No, no, no. Then you can get curious at it. You can be like, okay, so loads of people are clicking on the sales page, but no one's buying. Let me get curious at that. Rather than, well, this isn't working, this isn't bloody working. I told you so my launch is shit.
[00:31:02] I knew this would happen. You can be like, oh, okay, like no one's buying. I'm gonna get really curious at that. Because you're in a different state of mind, huh? I have so much more to say on this, but I know I've gone on far too long for a podcast episode. I try and cut it off at 20. I know we're definitely nearly into half an hour, but really try and do those steps for me.
[00:31:26] Really understand where the belief of holding onto the how is. Coming from then have a look at your own needle moving activities. So you are not in the, I need to do more, I need to do more. I need to do more. Then you can move into your surrender destination and really enjoy that. I think that's the problem with entrepreneurship is like we are so, we grip on so tight and we hold on so tight to this working that we end up not enjoying ourself at all.
[00:31:54] At all. And we don't allow ourself to do anything other than our business. We don't allow ourself to enjoy our life. We don't allow ourself to close our laptop at 5:00 PM and then not think about it again. So it's like actually the the how or your desire is going to come when you actually enjoy yourself more.
[00:32:15] And I think that's a pretty good thing for me to give you permission to do so. I hope today's podcast episode has inspired you to release the how a slight tad. Please let me know what aha moments you've had today, like what pops, what breakthroughs did you go through? Come over onto Instagram, send me a dmm.
[00:32:37] Share it in your stories if it's really resonated with you. I love that more ears are listening to this podcast, and if you haven't yet, Go and leave a little review in a rating. I always love to read them. I will see you on the next episode. Love you so much. Bye.
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Higher Self & I is the podcast for ambitious female entrepreneurs who are ready to achieve and sustain mind-blowing results in their biz. It’s a show that will release you of your victim mindset and give you complete freedom and energy to jump into the self you always knew you could be. Each week, Rebecca Haydon will help you lock your mindset into gear and empower you to step into the person you always knew you were meant to be – a bad-ass CEO who is here to claim her freaking millionaire life!