What If Growth Is Just Letting Go?

Read Time: 6 minutes

Hi, it’s Rohit.

We usually talk about productivity as doing more - faster, smarter, better.
But lately, I’ve been thinking about another kind of productivity, the kind that comes from awareness, not acceleration.

There’s a Japanese phrase that captures this beautifully: Mono no Aware, the quiet realization that everything is temporary.
Every project, every team, every version of you, all of it changes, fades, and passes.

And strangely, that awareness can make you more focused, grounded, and intentional.

The ache of letting go…

Couple of years back, I built a team from scratch for the company I worked for.
What started as a small experiment turned into a six-year journey, full of challenges, breakthroughs and excitement.
We grew together, delivered together, and built meaningful.

Over time, it wasn’t just an account, it became mine.
I knew every detail, every weakness and every strength.

When I decided to move on to a new role at a different company, I didn’t expect it to be that hard.
But it was.
For weeks after leaving, I kept thinking about the team, the client and the everyday conversations.
It felt like withdrawal.

That’s “Mono no Aware”, the gentle ache of realizing something meaningful has passed.
And also, the quiet gratitude that it ever happened at all.

What impermanence teaches about work

We often cling to projects, roles or teams because they define us.
But the truth is, nothing was meant to stay the same.

The team will evolve.
The project will be taken over.
The role will move on.

When we hold too tightly, we mistake continuity for control.
When we let go, we find perspective — and that’s where real growth begins.

Focus through awareness

Once you accept that everything moves, you start showing up differently.
Each meeting, each decision, each chance suddenly feels sharper because you know it won’t come again in quite the same way.

Deadlines stop feeling like stress.
They start feeling like clarity.

Mono no Aware doesn’t make you detached it makes you present.
And that’s the kind of focus most productivity hacks can’t teach.

Create like it’s temporary

When you stop chasing permanence, you start creating with freedom.
You stop waiting for the “perfect” version of your work and you start moving, experimenting, iterating.

Because you know that even the best projects will evolve, fade, or be replaced.
So you make your mark while it’s yours to make.

So the next time you find yourself holding on to a team, a role, or a version of life that’s already shifting, pause.

Appreciate what it gave you.
And then, let it go with intention.

Because progress isn’t always about what we build next.
Sometimes, it’s about what we’re brave enough to release.

Until next week!
Rohit Makker

“Set Goals That Inspire”

P.S. Have any questions or topics you’d like me to cover? Feel free to reach out!