There’s a strange kind of peace that comes from letting people do what they want.
I used to spend so much energy managing expectations—trying to be liked, trying to prove I was capable, trying to control how others saw me. It’s exhausting. Freelancing and travel taught me that the more you move through the world, the less you can (or should) carry. And that includes other people’s opinions.
Mel Robbins said it best in her book The Let Them Theory:
“If someone wants to leave your life, let them. If someone wants to speak badly about you, let them. If someone doesn’t see your value, let them.”
It’s disarming how simple that idea is—and how hard it is to live by. But once I started applying it, everything changed.
Let Them Think What They Think
When I left my 9-to-5, some people thought I was being irresponsible. They couldn’t understand why I’d give up stability for Wi-Fi in the jungle and quiet nights with my laptop by a campfire. But the truth is, they don’t have to understand.
Let them think it’s a phase. Let them believe it’s risky. I know what I’m building—even if it doesn’t fit someone else’s version of “success.”
That’s the freedom of Let Them. You stop wasting energy trying to explain yourself to people who aren’t really listening. You free up space for the people who get it—and more importantly, for yourself.
Let Them Leave
Travel makes you fluent in impermanence. People come and go. Projects end. Clients ghost. Plans shift. Not everyone you meet on the road is meant to stay, and not every connection will last.
But that doesn’t make them any less meaningful.
Learning to let people leave—without overthinking it, without taking it personally—has been one of the hardest and most healing parts of this lifestyle. I used to overanalyse the silence. Now I accept it. Some people are meant to be chapters, not constants. Letting them go makes room for the next story.
Let Them Judge
Freelancing invites judgment. So does choosing an unconventional life. You’ll be called lucky, flaky, selfish, unrealistic—especially by people who never tried what you’re doing.
But when you let them judge, something interesting happens: their words lose power. You stop living defensively. You stop editing your choices for comfort or applause. You just… live.
Let them judge. Let them misunderstand. Your peace is not up for negotiation.
Let Yourself Be Free
The magic of Let Them isn’t just in how you deal with others—it’s in how you free yourself.
When I stopped obsessing over being liked, I became more honest. When I stopped explaining myself, I got clearer on what I actually wanted. When I stopped holding on to people who weren’t meant to stay, I became lighter.
Letting go isn’t about being indifferent. It’s about trust. Trusting that you’ll be okay if someone walks away. Trusting that your worth doesn’t shrink because someone can’t see it. Trusting that your path is valid—even if it doesn’t look like anyone else’s.
It’s simple, not easy. But it’s worth it.
A Life Built on Letting Go
These days, I live by one quiet rule: if it requires me to shrink, explain, or beg—it’s not for me.
The Let Them theory has become my compass. It reminds me to keep walking, even when I don’t feel understood. To keep choosing this life, even when it’s messy and uncertain. To keep letting go of what was never mine to hold.
Because in the letting go, I’ve found more clarity, more creativity, and more freedom than I ever did trying to hold it all together.
So let them.
Let them judge. Let them stay. Let them leave.
You? Keep going.
