# Monkey Bars

Source: https://www.theminimalists.com/monkey/
Published: 2026-07-29
Updated: 2026-07-27
Author: Joshua Fields Millburn

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The week my family moved to Ojai, California, my eight-year-old daughter, Ella, taught me how to let go.

The monkey bars at our local park are a magnet for kids of all ages and abilities. During our first visit, a hesitant boy named Aiden couldn’t understand how Ella swung across the bars so effortlessly.

Hanging from the first rung, Aiden froze and held up the line.

“You have to let go to move forward,” Ella told him.

“But I’ll fall.”

“You have to hold on if you don’t want to fall.”

“I can’t let go and hold on at the same time.”

“If you want to get to the other side, you have to let go, then hold on, then let go.”

Ella climbed back onto the monkey bars and swayed from the second rung. “You have to be strong to hold on,” she said. Then she stopped moving. After a moment, her arms began to shake. “But if you hold on too long, you get tired.” She smiled, reached for the next bar, and kept going.

How interesting.

To get anywhere, you have to know when to hold on.

And when to let go.

—JFM

*P.S. Ready for the next rung? Join me on the [How to Let Go Tour](http://theminimalists.com/tour) in Seattle, Vancouver, and New York City this fall.*

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