Autumn Reset: A 3-Step Reflection Practice for Letting Go

By The Mindful Leader Team

Autumn reminds us that release is part of life’s rhythm. Just as the trees shed their leaves, leaders and teams too must learn to let go: of habits, stories, and even successes that no longer serve. Letting go isn’t weakness; it is wisdom. It creates space for rest, renewal, and what comes next.

To live in this world
you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it
against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.

Mary Oliver captures this with clarity in her poem In Blackwater Woods:

Reflective Journaling

Take a few quiet minutes and consider:

• What am I holding onto that no longer serves me, my work, or those I lead?
  
• If I trusted the natural seasons of my own life, what would I allow to fall away now?
  
• What new possibilities or clarity might emerge once I let go?

Trees don’t cling to their leaves. They trust the cycle. This autumn, may we practice the same—holding fully what matters, and when the time comes, letting go with grace.

This article is part of our Exercises & Practices Series where we offer unique practices designed to support personal growth and professional development for you to explore and share.