The Art of Surrender
Rachael Paul ?? The Veterinary Leadership Coach ??
?????? Creating Powerful Mind, Heart, and Soul Shifts in Leaders: Because Who You Are Shapes How You Lead
Often the word "surrender" conjures up an image in people's minds of a little white flag held up to signify the end of a war. It implies that one side is giving up, they are letting someone else win, that they lost and they are weak.
However in real life, to surrender doesn't mean to lose. It means getting out of the way and letting life unfold in the way that it is meant to.
We get in our own way by trying to control things in our external environment that are not to our liking. We decide that something that's happening out there is not good and we try to change it into something that is good, that feels good, that pleases us. The reality is, everything in your external environment is AT BEST under your influence, but never fully under your control. And what if what you're perceiving to be "bad" is the biggest blessing that could come your way?
Another way to describe what surrender is, is the act of letting go. Letting go of:
- Any preconceived ideas about how things "should" be,
- Any meaning you're making about things that doesn't serve you,
- What your niggling voice of doubt is lying to you about so that it loosens its grip on you,
- The need to know with absolute certainty what's coming next.
It doesn't mean you can't have preferences or desires. Having desires and goals gives you direction and allow you to take inspired action towards the things you want.
The secret is to let go of exactly what YOU prefer that to look like because it's very possible that life will bring you what you desire but it will look very different, or happen in a very different way, to what YOU prefer. In fact, life's way is often even more wonderful than the "how" that you imagined in your head. So, we have to let go of our preferences of the "how".
With everything that is going on in the world right now, it is the perfect time to learn the art of surrender.
I have a real passion for this topic and could speak about it all day long. If you like to chat about surrender and what it means to you and how you could do it more - ping me a message :-)