Pictured above: Overlooking one of many waterfalls on a recent visit with my son to Letchworth State Park in NY

This has been an emotional week for me. Today is Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and marks a period of self-reflection.

My son, Jonas, and I just got back from a trip to my hometown of Cleveland and upstate NY before he heads off to UCLA next week as a freshman. It was a great trip filled with quality father-son time, as well as re-connecting with family and friends we haven’t seen in awhile. And while I’m excited for him, I couldn’t escape the feeling that the next stage of my personal growth will involve developing greater mastery with the skill of “letting go” — both physically and emotionally.

The phrase “let go and let live” seems to be appropriate here. I also once had a mentor coach who introduced me to the concept of “addition by subtraction.” It’s easy for our lives to get filled up with a lot of “stuff” including physical and psychological commitments that weigh us down and slow our progress. Together, they often cloud our vision and distract us from what’s truly important and meaningful to focus our energy and attention.

I’ve made some great progress in preparing for my new adventure —

• notified my landlord of my intent to leave by end of September (it’s official now!)
• obtained free moving boxes from a neighbor via nextdoor.com
• arranged a place to securely store my belongings with a kind neighbor and picked up the keys
• arranged to have my mail forwarded to my bookkeeper in case there’s anything important I need sent directly to me while I’m gone
• began lining up some prospective new clients whom I’ll coach remotely while I’m on the road
• received some wonderful invitations from generous friends and colleagues who have offered me a place to stay when I’m traveling in their area
• made the first payment for my son’s fall tuition plus room and board fees using savings from a 529 plan I had set up for him when he was born

Meanwhile, I’ve also been a bit overwhelmed and anxious by all the things I need to get in order before leaving. I’ve got a long list of “to-do’s!” Some next steps include—

• Update my business information with local and state authorities
• Start boxing up all my stuff while deciding what to keep and what to sell or give away
• Schedule various doctor and dental appointments before I leave
• Scan important documents and old pictures into my laptop and back it all up to external hard drive and/or cloud
• Update my will including all my digital assets

One thing I find comforting is reminding myself that my expectations for this trip are self-imposed and arbitrary! Another source of comfort is the memory of how I successfully handled numerous setbacks and surprises during a months-long European backpacking trip I took in my early 20’s. In one instance, I had met a beautiful and smart businesswoman on the train from Barcelona to Madrid and asked her out on a date. Although the date fell through, I happened upon a circus tent near the youth hostel I was staying at and learned how to juggle! It was so much fun!

The lesson? If things don’t go according to plan, let go of what “could or should have been” and adjust your mindset so you can spot and take advantage of new opportunities that arise. If a ball drops, it’s not going to make or break this trip — it’s all just part of the adventure. I can do this!