Unhook Those Chains

Adrian S. Potter
5 min readAug 14, 2021

Release whatever has been tying you down.

Photo by Hussain Badshah on Unsplash

The Secondhand Inspiration Project begins with a motivational quote and ventures wherever the creative path meanders.

“People fall so in love with their pain, they can’t leave it behind. The same as the stories they tell. We trap ourselves.” — Chuck Palahniuk

Are you unable to progress in life because you remain tethered to the past?

It’s time to unhook those chains.

You might wonder, “What the heck does unhook those chains mean?” You probably don’t think past challenges constrain you. Yet every day, your subconscious speculates on how to break free.

Unhook those chains means releasing yourself from the things in your past that quietly keep you mentally imprisoned, such as:

· Regrets and anxieties

· The stress of daily life

· Grief and guilt

· The shadow of abuse or addiction

· Friendship or love lost

· Poor financial decisions

· The memories of mistakes made

· The paradox of success that forces you to keep chasing the carrot

· Steps never taken

· Opportunities left behind to rot

I can list more, but only you know what’s holding you back.

But why are do you stare at the rearview when there is better scenery on the horizon? How long will you allow these ghosts to haunt your progress?

Unhooking those chains can emancipate you. Let go of the emotions that stop you from evolving into who you’re destined to become.

Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash

What does letting things go mean?

Letting go isn’t some magical epiphany when you finally banish negativity from your life. It’s more like a positive step forward to take control back from the pain that framed a narrative of your personal history. It includes accepting the past for what it is and understanding you cannot change it.

Adrian S. Potter

Antisocial Extrovert · Writer and Poet, Engineer, Consultant, Public Speaker · Writing about self-improvement, gratitude, and creativity · www.adrianspotter.com