Learning to Let Go With Guy Finley

Last night I conducted my first on-camera interview with a live audience… kinda like a real talk show!

It went incredibly well… which, for me, means lots of learning and the odd burst of laughter too (because if it’s not fun — whatever “it” is — it’s not worth doing at all).

Guy FinleyThe interview was with Guy Finley at his world-renowned Life of Learning Foundation in Merlin, Oregon.

(I always find that town name funny because it reminds me of my good friend, Merlin Holmes — someone I jokingly call a wizard, who was partially responsible for making me the person I am today, with the partner I’m with today, through his ongoing encouragement that made me open my mind and heart. Thanks, Merlin!)

But back to Guy… he has a loyal following of students on a quest to open their own minds and hearts, and several times a week Guy either teaches them a live lesson, or gives them a chance to be guest speakers themselves (or sometimes both).

Last night my live interview was the curriculum rather than a solo talk from Guy, and the focus was his international best-seller, The Secret of Letting Go and his new release, 365 Days to Let Go: Daily Insights to Change Your Life.

We talked about what it means to let go, why and how to do it, how to overcome the stumbling blocks that typically stop us from letting go, and the ebbs and flows of life.

I personally learned a lot from Guy through the course of conducting the interview — and from reading his book in preparation — and I know that most of the audience members (including Barry) did as well.

One of the main takeaways was to love unconditionally, and not put any weight on what “should” happen or how things are “supposed” to be (in other words, “stop shoulding on yourself,” as Michael Angier says).

To be happy, we need to accept every moment as perfect; whether it’s going the way we expected or not, it’s rewarding us by either giving us our desires or teaching us a lesson.

But besides that, I achieved my aim of taking the topic deeper than he goes in the book. The book is longer, and covers more on a broad scale of course, but we went deeper into a few select areas that neither of us were expecting until the questions came out.

That’s a big key to conducting a powerful interview that’s valuable for all parties (interviewer, interviewee and audience — both live and of the recorded project): listening, and following up on key elements that come out of the conversation to really dive into a topic.

So just as Guy was telling us all that being watchful — rather than willful — and observing what’s going on around us without judgments is a principle tool for letting go, I was doing the same thing in the interview. I was watching him, and listening to him and my own intuition, in order to know where to go next.

I often talk about having a “map” with you when you interview someone — which is basically a sketchy list of topics to cover, or ideas for questions (I don’t advocate trying to memorize or read a question you’ve previously written down, which is why making point form notes works the best).

Then during the interview, I just “wander through the forest”, observing each tree as I get to it, knowing that I won’t get to every one and I might see some things I didn’t expect. The trees, in essence, are the topics or questions that we might cover. And — of course — I only look at the “map” if I get lost, just like you would if you were truly wandering through the forest.

And I had a map with me last night… but I never ended up looking at it. Instead we went off in different directions than either of us had known we would — loving the moment, just like he taught us — and wrapped it up beautifully with a phrase from the front of his book, The Secret of Letting Go:

Nothing in the Universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.

When you get angry, frustrated, or upset… just let it go. Don’t dwell on it — you’ll only be hurting yourself as those feelings fester inside you.

And of course, letting go is also the final step in the manifestation process. You set your intent on what you want, then release it to the Universe, or let it go. Don’t get attached to it, and don’t smother it with anxiety. Just accept what comes, knowing that it will be great.

Guy’s new book, 365 Days to Let Go: Daily Insights to Change Your Life, contains a short daily meditation for every day of the year.

I’d like to leave you with the meditation for today, October 20:

Until we learn the one great lesson that what we want from life must play a secondary role to what life asks of us — which is to grow in the timeless qualities of selflessness such as self-sacrifice, kindness and love — then we will remain unable to share in the abiding sense of peace and freedom that comes to us only as we realize the true purpose of our being.

So go out there, and do what life wants you to do… which is essentially to love life, and the people in your life, in every moment of every day.

Because it’s all perfect, just the way it is.

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

Heather Vale