The Art of Surrender

🗣 Quote of the Week:

“No matter who we are, life is going to put us through the changes we need to go through. The question is: Are we willing to use this force for our transformation? I saw that even very intense situations don't have to leave psychological scars, if we are willing to process our changes at a deeper level.”

 ― Michael Singer

💡 One Big Idea

Surrender is about accepting what’s out of our control and reality as it presents itself before us.

It’s not about giving up, indifference, apathy, or throwing your ambition out the window.

It’s about being intimate with reality’s truth and not in a state of resistance.

🧱 Why This Matters

This allows us to live more in-flow with life, and stop butting heads with it.

To stop being driven by a mind that tries to control every outcome and thinks:

“I’ll be happy only when things are the way I wanted them to be.”

Embracing this requires us to examine the parts of us that still get in our way.

Where we wish things were different, are unhappy, still attached, or are trying to change a situation before we’ll allow ourselves to feel OK.

It’s the act of recognizing reality is how it is and not fighting with it.

And seeing that it’s not the circumstance that makes us unhappy, but how we think about the circumstance that causes our discontent.

🤿 Let’s Dive In

Surrendering allows us to release the stress of trying to control the uncontrollable → giving us increased peace, calm, and presence.

Don’t misunderstand it as a sign of weakness or giving up. It’s the ultimate strength.

It’s learning to focus our energy on what we do have influence over.

Whether we’re dealing with a toxic boss, board meeting, a breakup, at a crossroads, or rainy whether, we can use moments of discomfort as guide posts.

On the surface, these moments feel like a thorn in our side.

So we try to fix them externally.

We try to change our surroundings in order to feel OK on the inside.

Surrender is an invitation to recognize the only thing causing you pain in those situations is your thoughts about them - that’s it.

Through that awareness, we can slowly learn to let go of the things in our lives that block us from feeling peace.

The areas of my life I’m still working to surrender fully are needing to be successful, liked, and feel like I’m on the right path.

Again, surrender is not about ditching those things, it’s about ditching the belief that you need those things to be OKAY internally.

It’s the process of:

→ examining the thoughts causing you pain
→ questioning their validity
→ asking yourself how you feel when you believe them
→ inquiring what life would be like in the absence of them

These simple steps allow your mind to see how it’s been holding you back and how crappy it’s been making you feel.

Then it allows you to imagine & feel what life would be like if you chose to not believe those anymore.

This is so incredibly powerful because you get access to what is possible for you RIGHT NOW.

You’ll realize that those limitations have just been thoughts all along.

And once you get clear on that, you can let go of the beliefs that no longer serve you.

You’ll find yourself lighter, calmer, and with more peace flowing through you.

The next time you feel a thorn come back, simple...

Do this process again:

→ Identify the thought
→ Examine it (Is this true?)
→ How do I feel when I believe that thought?
→ Who would I be/what would my life be like in the absence of that belief

And repeat for the rest of your life and these thoughts become few and far between.

Benefits of surrender you’ll begin to feel right away:

→ Calm
→ Peace
→ Resilience
→ Confidence
→ Less stress
→ Adaptability
→ More possibilities for your LIFE

🥋 Try This...

1. Daily Reflection: Spend 5 minutes each morning on what you can and cannot control. Write it down.
2. Mindfulness Practice: 10 minutes of sitting upright, breathing slowly, and just noticing your thoughts. Don’t try to change the or eliminate them, just notice.
3. Set Intentions: Begin each day by setting intentions of surrender. Ex. “I’m open to whatever comes my way today.”
4. Gratitude Practice: End each day by writing down what you're grateful for, focusing on the surprises or unplanned events that elevated your day.

You’ll begin to discover a deeper sense of peace and resilience, allowing you to rip through life with more confidence and resilience.

Helpful? Let me know.
I’d love to hear how it goes.

Tim 🖤

🌟 Client Amazingness 🌟

"After working with Tim, I feel like I'm ten years younger.

I have more energy, I'm living more disciplined, I'm more present in every moment of my day, I'm enjoying work more... 

I'm a better husband, I'm a better dad, I'm procrastinating less, I'm enjoying everything I do."

- Ethan Annis | Director of Product Marketing