3 Ways to Surrender for a Life of Abundance

15 August 2016

“Letting go gives us freedom and freedom is the only condition for happiness.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

First, let’s be clear about something…

Surrender is not about giving up, handing power over, or failing. It is not waving the white flag of defeat. We are so used to striving and trying so hard for an outcome that anything outside of that formula seems like self-sabotage. It isn’t. In fact, surrender is the pinnacle of evolved and enlightened behaviour.

Surrender is the beautiful soft space of acceptance. It is an allowing—allowing life to unfold and to be what it is, irrespective of your agendas, expectations, and judgments. It’s that arms-wide-open energy that is deeply rooted in trust. Relaxing and trusting that, even though things might not seem perfect or they might not be according to your plan, that everything will turn out just the way it’s meant to for your highest good.

Why do we want to embrace surrender?

Because this is how we get out of our own way.

This is how we experience a life of real freedom. Free from our limiting self-beliefs, emotional blocks, and negative self-talk—all the stuff that prevents real growth and transformation. Ultimately, preventing you from an extraordinary life—a limitless life. At first, the journey into surrender can be very destabilizing. Be assured, you will question it, resist, and try to force stuff to happen, but eventually, when you completely let go, you’ll discover that surrender is the space where everything starts to shift.

Surrender allows us to step into our lives ready to receive, completely able to manifest, and willing to embrace everything—the good, the bad, and the ugly—with an open heart. It’s from this place that real magic happens.

To really understand surrender we need to look at its opposite.

Can you relate to any of these scenarios?

1. Something unexpected has happened and you feel a bit down in the dumps.

Are you comfortable with moving on quickly? Or, do you get stuck on how you believed a situation should have played out? Notice if you notoriously hold a grudge or can’t handle it when things don’t go to plan. The only person that suffers in this situation is you. Turning an annoying situation into a crisis doesn’t help or do anything to change it.

2. You are working on a project that you really care about. You’ve hit a wall, a plateau.

Do you see that as a clear sign you need to back off? Or, do you grip the reins tighter and try even harder?  This one’s for you if you insist on doing more, going further, pushing through, even when it’s time for a breather. This type of behaviour will stick you down straight to a place devoid of creativity and joy!

Take note, self-confessed control freaks and know-it-alls (myself included here)! This type of attitude is a direct route to self-sabotage. This narrow-minded behaviour will block you from experiencing different perspectives and detaching from limiting ideas. Wouldn’t it be so incredible to be free from this energy of control, attachment, resistance, and fear? What kind of life could you live if you were limitless? Free? Wholehearted?

So How Do We Come to Surrender?

There are three distinct ways that we can come to a place of surrender:

A Lack of Control

Sometimes you look at your life and ask yourself if you can change or leave a negative situation. When the answer you get back is a resounding no, it’s in that moment that the only thing left is acceptance. Honestly, that’s most of the time. We often have no control over the situation, but we do have control over what we choose to do, what we think, and how we feel—that’s surrender.

When Everything Falls Apart

All hell has broken loose. Crisis in its many forms, death by fire, stuff is going down. Surrender, whether you realize it or not, has come knocking on your door. If you don’t listen you are just going to go down in flames, figuratively speaking. Instead of armouring up, ready to fight, perhaps a deep breath and a reminder to trust will throw you safely into the arms of surrender. A more peaceful response.

By Choice

Through awareness, personal growth, and intuition we can invite surrender in when it comes knocking. It’s a choice made in the present moment. Seeing reality for what it is and opening up to it wholeheartedly.

It’s from that rich territory of surrender that we finally let go of the limiting energy of control and force. And when we aren’t controlling, we have completely stepped out of our own way. We are ready to receive, to tap into the abundant possibilities available to us, and to manifest a life free from restraint and restrictions.

Energy flows where attention goes, so open up and set yourself Free!