Why Surrender Is the Key To EVERYTHING
In a society that is steeped in the mantra of “No Pain, No Gain”, we’ve been brainwashed to belive that Surrender means defeat and powerlessness. But in ancient wisdom traditions, to Surrender is the ultimate courageous, life enhancing practice.
To Surrender is to let go of preconceived notions as to how things should be and accept Life on Life’s terms.
Today, neuroscience is proving that the ancients were right. The key to everything: healing, positive lasting change, longevity and happiness is giving up battling with reality.
Think about the times you’ve been in a difficult situation and said to yourself:
“This should NOT be happening.”
“Why is this happening to ME?”
“This is SO unfair.”
Those thoughts most likely made you feel even worse about your situation. By resisting reality, our sadness and frustration can become more intense. We can get stuck in judgment, shame and negative self talk. Over time, this tendency to wallow in the “unfairness” of what life has dealt you and all the “shoulds” that never came to be, saps your deeper vitality.
The inability to accept reality is at the the root of toxic stress, anxiety and self sabotaging behaviors. It’s what fuels our inner control freak, addictive behaviors, stubborness and rigid expectations.
But please remember Surrender has nothing to do with giving up, being passive or being in agreement with your situation.
It’s not resignation. Not at all. You can’t improve ANYTHING in your life if you don’t fully accept it first. Because it’s about self responsibility, when you Surrender to Life you shift from victim to co-creator.
We’re not saying what is happening (or what happened) is okay, but we accept that it just is and move on to what can we do about it.
When you Surrender the only thing you are giving up is the senseless fight with yourself.
The process of Surrender calms your central nervous system and expands the menu of positive actions. When we drop our inner opposition, we gain emotional freedom and mental clarity.
To Surrender is a skill that requires practice. I definitely have my moments when I can’t immediately accept what life is throwing at me, but my willlingess to stay open and mindful helps me shift my energy back from fear to love.
And then I can remember that my ultimate goal is to find peace in the journey regardless of the destination.
For more on on this listen to this week’s podcast: “Never Give Up – What I Learned From a Lifetime of Chronic Pain, With Dawn Cady, Founder of The Neural Alignment Method.”
