Mark Alan Fish

If you feel stuck right now, it’s probably not because you need a better strategy.

More often, it’s because you’re carrying things that are quietly draining your energy.

Freedom doesn’t come from adding another goal. It comes from releasing what’s weighing you down.

Freedom doesn’t come from adding another goal. It comes from releasing what’s weighing you down.

There are three decisions that create real forward motion in your life:

1. Let Go — Create Space for What’s Next
2. Forgive — Free Yourself from Resentment
3. Make Peace — Lay Down the Struggle

This isn’t surface-level work. It’s foundational work. It’s the inner work. And when you do it, everything else begins to feel lighter.

1. Let Go — Create Space for What’s Next

You can’t fully move into what’s next while holding onto what no longer serves you.

Yes, this applies to clutter in your house. But it also applies to clutter in your head and attachments in your heart.

We hold on to things because “I might need this someday.”
We keep items out of obligation.
We stay in patterns or relationships long after they’ve stopped nourishing us.
We replay thoughts that quietly chip away at our confidence.

Letting go doesn’t mean you discard everything overnight. It means you begin asking honest questions.

Is this serving my life now?

If you’re afraid of losing the memory, take a picture.
If you’re afraid of losing approval, ask yourself why you need it.
If you’re afraid of losing control, notice how much energy it’s costing you to hold on.

Letting go isn’t careless. It’s courageous. It creates space for what’s trying to emerge.

That’s freedom.

2. Forgive — Free Yourself from Resentment

Forgiveness is often misunderstood.

It is not excusing harmful behavior.
It is not forgetting.
It’s not pretending it didn’t hurt.

Forgiveness is an internal decision to stop carrying resentment.

We may need to forgive parents who fell short, friends who disappointed us, and colleagues who hurt us. And often, we need to forgive ourselves for choices we wish we had handled differently.

Resentment is heavy. It shapes how you think, how you react, and how safe you feel in the world. It can quietly influence decisions long after the original event has passed.

When you forgive, you’re not freeing the other person.

You’re freeing yourself.

When you forgive, you’re not freeing the other person. You’re freeing yourself.

You’re deciding that yesterday doesn’t get to control tomorrow.

That’s freedom.

3. Make Peace — Lay Down the Struggle

Making peace means accepting what is as it is — not as you wish it had been.

It means being honest about where you are in your life right now. It means acknowledging your past, your choices, and even your mistakes without constantly arguing with them in your mind.

Many people stay stuck because they’re still fighting something that already happened. They replay conversations. They mentally rewrite history. They resist what is.

Making peace doesn’t mean you like everything. It doesn’t mean you approve of everything. It means you’re okay with what is. It means you stop resisting long enough to move forward.

When you lay down the struggle, your energy shifts. You stop spending it on what you cannot control and start directing it toward what you can influence.

Peace brings clarity.
Clarity brings momentum.

That’s freedom.

The Work That Changes Everything

A life well lived isn’t built by stacking new achievements on top of unresolved weight.

It’s built by doing the deeper work most people avoid.

It’s often easier to chase something new than to sit with what still hurts. Easier to pursue the next milestone than to release the resentment or grief you’ve been carrying.

But if you don’t release what’s weighing you down, you carry it into every next chapter.

You don’t need a new life. You need less weight in the one you already have.

When you let go, forgive, and make peace, you remove the internal friction that has been shaping your reactions and limiting your capacity.

From that place, you can create intentionally. You can pursue what you want without dragging yesterday behind you.

That’s where real transformation begins.

Asking the Right Question

If you’re feeling stuck or unsatisfied, don’t just ask, “What should I do next?”

Ask yourself:

What do I need to let go of?
Who do I need to forgive?
What do I need to make peace with?

Freedom isn’t something you achieve. It’s something you uncover when you release what’s been holding you back.

Freedom begins the moment you let go.