7 Things Successful People Let Go
Success—whether personal, professional, or emotional—does not come only from what one gains, but very often from what one chooses to release. Many individuals spend years chasing success through accumulation: more skills, more contacts, more effort, more opportunities. But highly successful people understand a deeper truth: sometimes progress depends on subtraction, not addition.
Successful individuals actively let go of behaviours, beliefs, and patterns that drain their energy, limit their perspective, or sabotage their growth. Ordinary people often cling to these same things because they feel safe, familiar, or comforting—even when they silently destroy potential.
Below are seven powerful things successful people release, which transform their lives radically:
1. Successful People Let Go of the Fear of Failure
Ordinary people cling to the fear of failing because failure feels painful, embarrassing, or threatening. It is easier not to try than to try and fall short. Many convince themselves that failure means they are not good enough, capable enough, or worthy enough. But successful people rewrite the definition of failure entirely.
How Successful People Think About Failure
- They see failure not as an end but as a necessary stepping stone.
- They analyse failure to extract growth, lessons, and direction.
- They detach failure from identity—it becomes feedback, not self-worth.
Every major success story is built on a history of setbacks: Thomas Edison tested thousands of prototypes before creating the light bulb; Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper for “lacking creativity”; Steve Jobs was fired from his own company. They succeed not because they never failed, but because they refused to let failure defeat them.
What Ordinary People Need to Let Go
- The belief that failure is shameful
- The habit of avoiding risks to stay comfortable
- The fear of other people’s judgment
- The illusion that success should be quick and smooth
The moment you stop fearing failure, you stop limiting your future.
2. Successful People Let Go of Excuses
Ordinary individuals defend their limitations; successful individuals overcome them.
Excuses feel comforting because they remove responsibility: “I didn’t succeed because the timing wasn’t right, or I didn’t have resources, or because someone else had an advantage.” Excuses allow people to feel justified in staying stuck.
How Successful People Operate
- They take radical responsibility for outcomes.
- They focus on what can be done rather than why something cannot.
- They understand that circumstances do not control destiny—choices do.
- Instead of complaining, they adapt, strategise, and take action.
What Ordinary People Hold Onto
- The idea that external forces control everything
- Blaming others: family, society, luck, or past mistakes
- Belief that effort won’t matter
- Waiting for perfect conditions
Excuses may protect ego temporarily, but they destroy progress permanently. Letting go of excuses frees the power to transform life.
3. Successful People Let Go of the Need for Approval
Ordinary people are trapped by what others think. Successful individuals are guided by what matters.
Most people make decisions to fit in, avoid conflict, be liked, or please others. This keeps them small, invisible, and tied to expectations that have nothing to do with their true purpose.
Successful People Understand
- Approval is temporary; authenticity lasts.
- You cannot please everyone, even if you sacrifice everything.
- Doing something meaningful invites criticism—that is normal.
- Confidence is built internally, not borrowed externally.
If they constantly worried about others’ opinions, innovators would never innovate, artists would never create, and leaders would never lead.
What Ordinary People Must Release
- Fear of criticism
- The obsession with validation, likes, and admiration
- Decisions driven by public perception
- The belief that approval equals success
Greatness requires the courage to stand alone before others applaud.
4. Successful People Let Go of Toxic Relationships
Ordinary people cling to relationships that feel familiar—even if they are draining, limiting, or destructive. They stay because of emotional attachment, fear of loneliness, or guilt. But successful people understand that who you surround yourself with determines your future.
They Choose Their Circle Carefully
- They protect their time and energy.
- They seek people who challenge, support, and inspire them.
- They eliminate relationships filled with negativity, jealousy, or manipulation.
- They learn to say NO without guilt.
Ordinary People Often Hold Onto
- Friends who discourage growth (“stay the same so we feel equal”)
- Partners who drain emotional energy
- Work colleagues who gossip but do not grow
- People who always take but never give
A powerful rule says:
“You become the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
Letting go of the wrong people is necessary to attract the right ones.
5. Successful People Let Go of Perfectionism
Ordinary people desperately cling to perfection because they want things to look flawless before they begin. They wait for the perfect moment, the perfect plan, the perfect conditions—and end up doing nothing.
Successful Individuals Choose Progress Over Perfection
- They start even when they are not ready.
- They learn while doing, rather than waiting to know everything.
- They prefer imperfect action to perfect intention.
- They know perfection is impossible, but improvement is endless.
What Ordinary People Cling To
- The fear of producing something imperfect
- Fear of being judged for mistakes
- Endless planning and no execution
- The belief that delay leads to better results
Perfectionism kills dreams; action builds them.
6. Successful People Let Go of the Past
Ordinary people stay trapped in old wounds, regrets, failures, or memories. They replay painful experiences, blame past circumstances, or define themselves by what once happened to them.
Successful People Do the Opposite
- They forgive themselves and others.
- They learn from the past but do not live in it.
- They use past pain as fuel rather than chains.
- They focus on what can be created next, not what was lost.
Ordinary People Hold Onto
- Regret for what they didn’t do
- Resentment toward people who hurt them
- Nostalgia that stops forward movement
- Identity built around past struggles
The past cannot be rewritten—but the future can be designed.
Every new chapter starts when the old one is released.
7. Successful People Let Go of Comfort
While ordinary individuals cling to comfort because it feels safe, predictable, and easy, successful people know comfort is the enemy of growth. Nothing extraordinary grows in a comfort zone.
Successful People Seek Challenge
- They intentionally push themselves into new environments.
- They embrace discomfort as proof of expansion.
- They choose learning over convenience.
- They build discipline rather than chasing motivation.
Ordinary People Resist Change
- They choose routines that do not challenge them.
- They avoid new skills and difficult tasks.
- They want growth without sacrifice.
- They fear uncertainty.
Life rewards those who dare.
Comfort feels good now but costs much later; struggle feels hard now but pays forever.
Conclusion
Success is not a coincidence; it is a consequence—built from choices, sacrifices, and letting go. Ordinary people cling to familiar limitations and therefore remain stuck. Successful individuals release what holds them back and rise higher.
To become extraordinary, let go of:
- Fear of failure
- Excuses
- Need for approval
- Toxic relationships
- Perfectionism
- The past
- Comfort
When you stop holding onto what limits you, you gain everything that frees you.