Subtraction Before Growth

Every real transformation begins not with addition, but with subtraction.

Let that sink in for a second, because what it means is that if the best days of your life are coming…

…….then something will have to make room for it and leave before that new spectacular thing arrives.

In a way it is not unlike getting new furniture that you are absolutely in love with for your home.

What happens with the old furniture?

It has to be removed first.

The trees show us this truth every autumn: the leaves fall before new buds appear in spring. The same is true in our lives. Attachments dissolve before new bonds can form. Pain must release before joy can enter. Letting go is not about losing ,it’s about creating the space for something better to arrive.

Think about it:

• A relationship ends, and though the heartbreak is real, it clears the path for dignity, clarity, and a new way of loving yourself.

  
  

• A dream you once clung to slips away, and in that loss, you discover a new calling that is far more aligned with who you are now.

  
  

• A plan you trusted unravels, leaving you with nothing but silence—and in that silence, you uncover a deeper strength that was hidden all along.

  
  

The Sacred Role of Silence

Silence isn’t empty; it’s full of answers. When you no longer fear the quiet, it means your heart has stopped running from itself. You can sit in your own presence without craving escape. That is freedom. That is power. And only in that silence can truth reveal itself. Healing isn’t about adding more noise or more distractions—it’s about tuning into the voice of wisdom that has always been inside you, waiting to be heard.

Healing From the Past

Letting go and embracing silence is how you finally heal. You are not defined by what ended—you are defined by what you are opening up to now. The past doesn’t have to chain you to suffering unless you choose to carry it. Letting go is not weakness. It is the greatest act of strength. It is the doorway to renewal, the threshold where yesterday ends and tomorrow begins.

Ancient Echoes of This Truth

We must resist the urge to adjust God’s truth – Deuteronomy 4:2

• Hinduism: In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna teaches Arjuna that he must surrender his attachments and ego before he can fulfill his higher purpose. Subtraction of self-will opens the space for dharma—the path of truth and growth.

  
  

• Taoism: Lao Tzu reminds us in the Tao Te Ching: “To gain knowledge, add something every day. To gain wisdom, remove something every day.” The Tao teaches that true harmony is found not by adding more, but by subtracting what blocks the flow.

  
  

• Christianity: Jesus said in John 12:24, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” The letting go of the old is the very condition for new life to emerge.

  
  

• Torah (Judaism): In Genesis, God commands Abraham to leave his homeland, his family, and everything familiar before he can step into the covenant and become the father of nations. Subtraction of comfort precedes the growth of destiny.

  
  

• Qur’an (Islam): In Surah Al-Baqarah (2:216), it is written: “But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.” Letting go of what we cling to is often the gateway to what is truly meant for us.

(the above ideas are a mixture of Zen philosophy and Shannon Goertz)