Make the Most of Your Day: Life Is Short—Let Go of One Thing That’s Not Yours to Carry

We all carry things we were never meant to: guilt that isn’t ours, problems we can’t fix, expectations we didn’t agree to, and stories about ourselves that were never true. These weights don’t make you stronger—they make you tired. And life is too short to carry what’s not yours.

If you want to make the most of your day, put one of those burdens down. Even just for today. Feel what it’s like to walk a little lighter.

1. Letting go is an act of self-respect.

Buddha taught:

“You only lose what you cling to.”

~Buddha

What have you been clinging to that’s hurting more than helping? Today might be the day to let it go.

2. Not everything you carry is your responsibility.

Cheryl Strayed, author of Tiny Beautiful Things, wrote:

“You don’t have a right to the cards you believe you should have been dealt. You have an obligation to play the hell out of the ones you’re holding.”

~Cheryl Strayed

Stop reaching for someone else’s cards. Own your hand. Let the rest go.

3. You are not required to hold what others refuse to heal.

Lori Gottlieb, therapist and writer, said:

“You can’t change what you don’t own. And you shouldn’t carry what’s not yours.”

~Lori Gottlieb

It’s okay to care—but not at the cost of your peace.

4. Releasing something can be an act of courage.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic, reminds us:

“You are not required to save the world with your art. You are only required to share it.”

~Elizabeth Gilbert

You’re not responsible for how others carry your truth. You’re only responsible for living it.

5. You were made to be free.

Rumi, master of letting go, said:

“Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead, let life live through you.”

~Rumi

What you’re holding might be keeping you from becoming who you were meant to be.

A Final Reflection

Today, release something. A regret. A false belief. A responsibility that doesn’t belong to you. You don’t have to carry it forever—just choose to set it down for now. Because life is short, and the journey is lighter when your hands aren’t full of what never belonged to you.