Mother Nature is the maestro of surrendering as she orchestrates the changing of the seasons. Observe the leaves on the trees magically transforming in the fall with notes of orange, yellow, and red. Transitioning into brown decaying leaves clinging to the branches before letting go and tumbling to the ground in the intro to winter.
On the journey of life, we are pushed to explore where clinging to old beliefs is causing us to be out of sync. By following resistance, we lose alignment with who we really are.
The antidote is right in front of us: Step outside of old behaviors and follow the rhythms of nature. Observe where our inner nature is resisting letting go so we can blossom and grow.
Stuck in Stories of the Past
Resistance is our mind attaching to the ways things have been in the past. They may no longer be true in the present. Resistance keeps us in repeating patterns, the old story of struggle and pain.
What lies beneath resistance is fear of the unknown. It is more comfortable to stay with what is familiar (the pain) versus venturing into the unfamiliar. By allowing ourselves to remain stuck regardless of the discomfort and pain, how can we expect to break free?
Persistence Is Not Always a Virtue
What we resist persists.
—Carl Jung
Our egos cling to survival by preventing us from letting go of the old story. We lean further into the pain. When we are in resistance, we are opposing the natural flow. We are trying to swim upstream or run back into the floods of heartbreak from the past.
The opposite of resistance is surrender. By surrendering to the flow of life, we’re able to ride the highest waves.
Let go of what’s holding you back and step into a life beyond what you imagined. A life free from the emotional, mental, or physical pain of the past.
Surrendering Is an Act of Courageous Honesty
Surrendering is not an act of weakness, as is often pictured in movies or in what we’re taught. Societal norms emphasize the importance of fighting at all costs. But what if it’s costing our own freedom? If we’re living inauthentically based on what we’ve been told by caretakers and those who have had the most significant influence on our development?
In these scenarios, we tend to be fighting against our own internal desires and needs.
Beliefs are formed based on what we’ve learned and been told. We’re unworthy, will never succeed, and need to settle on whatever scraps come our way. Behaviors and unhealthy coping mechanisms develop as a way to feel safe, attract attention, or to punish ourselves for believing we’re as bad as we’ve been told.
Take a moment to explore what you really feel. Ask yourself if this is true. Is this transference of how others feel about themselves and not really about us? People often do not see out of their own eyes. It may be that we’re holding up a mirror, and they are looking at their own reflection.
Yesterday is gone, and its tale told. Today new seeds are growing.
—Rumi
Letting Go Is Surrendering
When we stop resisting what is happening and fighting against the current, we move into the flow of life. The twists and turns on the journey. How do we know what lies ahead or is even in front of us if we fixate on the past?
The amount of time it takes may feel frustrating and even disillusioning, but do not give up. Evolution will take as long as is necessary for us to grow. It is a personal choice when we are ready to let go of resistance and venture forth into the unknown.
The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.
—Voltaire
Pain to Pleasure Spectrum
The pain to pleasure spectrum involves three stages:
Resistance ➡️ Acceptance ➡️ Surrender
We need to move from one stage to the next to transform. We are able to find a path forward when we accept what is happening and surrender.
In the first stage of resistance, begin the process by abandoning the need to control, which is letting go of resistance. In the second stage of acceptance, acknowledge that the situation is out of your control. In the third and final stage, you’re on our way to surrendering.
A good example of this is the aging process. No amount of beauty treatments, lotions and potions, surgery, or medication can stop aging. By living a healthy lifestyle, the timing of certain aspects may be extended but not reversed. It is important to accept any physical changes, especially aesthetically. Surrender and redefine natural beauty at any age.
There are far better things than the ones we leave behind.
—C.S. Lewis
Train to be a gold medalist at surrendering and open your arms to receive a life beyond your wildest imagination!
