Before I ever shed a pound physically, I had to lose the weight mentally. It wasn’t just about envisioning myself lean or imagining the life I wanted. That was part of it, sure, but the bigger task was letting go of all the mental and emotional weight I’d been dragging around for years. I had to learn how to give back the weight of the world—the grudges, burdens, sadness, and problems. Most of it wasn’t even mine to begin with. I was carrying other people’s problems, teaming up with their anger, and piling their sadness on top of my own.

Through my spiritual journey—which, like the physical one, is never really over—I learned an important truth early on: I didn’t have to carry that stuff. I didn’t need to shoulder those invisible backpacks full of negativity. So, I stopped. I wasn’t afraid to let it go. I wasn’t afraid to say, “This isn’t mine,” and to put it down. If someone else wanted to keep carrying it, that was on them, but I made a decision not to pick it back up. I chose not to drag all that weight with me.

As I practiced letting go of the things that didn’t serve me, I felt lighter—mentally, emotionally, and even physically. Letting go of that internal clutter opened up space for something better: love. And here’s the thing about love—it’s an uncapped source of energy. Once you tap into it, you realize it’s limitless. I try to explain this in so many ways because it’s such a vital part of my journey. I have more energy now than ever before. It’s the kind of energy that fuels clarity and focus, the kind you can trust.

When you’re carrying all that mental junk, all you see is more miles to go, more obstacles, more problems. The solution could be sitting right in your hands, and you wouldn’t see it. It could walk up to your door, bang on it, and say, “Here I am!”—and you’d still miss it because you’re too busy looking at your pile of burdens.

I don’t know when you’ll stumble upon this post, but as I’m writing this, it’s early December, toward the end of 2024. This is the season for wrapping up gifts and taking out the trash. I mean that literally and metaphorically. Now is the perfect time to focus on the gifts in your life—the good, the blessings, the love—and to throw out the mental garbage that’s weighing you down.

I’m giving you permission to let it go. Throw it all away. Trust and believe in yourself, in faith, in God, and in all things good. I promise you this: if you do, you’ll see the path open up before you. You’ll feel lighter, clearer, and more capable of reaching your goals. And you’ll find that the energy you need to get there has been within you all along.