Count It All Good!
It’s time for more surrender so we’ll dive in further on the topic with the some practice on how to do it at the end of this blog. To me, the essence of surrender can be captured in the phrase “count it all good.” When you count it all good, even the “bad”, you really understand that everything that happens in your life holds some good for you. With that perspective, there’s no resistance, and in the energy of non-resistance, you open the door for opportunity. Opportunity to heal, opportunity to grow, opportunity for solutions to present themselves, opportunity for blessings to flow to you, opportunity for a greater dream to manifest than you had imagined, opportunity to connect to something greater than yourself, and opportunity to experience your place in the grand design of all of Life. This is the place surrender holds in the process of real change and inner transformation. Surrender is the underpinning of all spiritual, emotional, self growth because it is the agent of change.
There is a larger plan and order guiding your life, an interconnectedness of all people and events that we’re not fully aware of. There is always purpose in every situation you are presented with and in every obstacle seemingly in your way. So, when you struggle with what presents itself, you miss the opportunity. You may not understand why something is happening or showing up, but you can understand that we are all part of some grand configuration of dominos arranged by the best and most strategic domino master there could be. Knowing this, we can stand to relax a little with the wisdom that there are no isolated events or random occurrences.
This is what I had to remember yesterday as I was given some news that changes beyond my control are about to take place which will really affect me. I immediately heard that voice within tell me to trust and just go with it. I felt the fear rise up of how this would mean going from something I’ve known to something I don’t know and I’m comfortable with what I know! But I started to feel a sense of peace and space inside as I realized there was no use fighting it on any level. I felt that somehow this would end up being what’s best for me, even though I couldn’t see how at the moment. Surrendering it to my higher power allowed me to see it from a different perspective. I know with time it will make sense and the part this plays in the grand design of my life will be revealed to me. Because of this approach, I felt no upset which was a new response for me. I thought to myself, “I’m getting better and better at this!” I am reaping the rewards of maintaining a sense of peace and happiness even when unforeseen events occur that shake up my world. I have faith and that is what surrender is, a courageous act of faith.
What came to me the other day is the realization that death is the ultimate act of surrender and in a way that’s what occurs when you surrender in life. You die to the parts of yourself that no longer serve your highest good, to the life you’ve lived so far, to mediocrity and being average, and to hiding your shining light. The death of these things in your act of surrender are followed by the birth of a whole new you and a new life. Welcome the opportunity to give in and trust that you’ll be led somewhere magnificent!
I’ve recently started applying this concept to another part of my life. I’m currently working with Kirsten Bell of Kapable Koaching with the goal of running my first 5k. She teaches natural running, which has taken quite some time to actually feel natural, and each week the running time becomes longer. This week when the amount of time to run jumped up beyond what I thought I could do, I felt so much resistance come up. I heard all of the negative thoughts running through my head that were convincing me I couldn’t do it. I knew I couldn’t and wouldn’t back out, so I decided to just accept that the run was longer. I had no idea how I was going to make it but I knew somehow I would. I stopped fighting it and just decided to wrap my head around it instead. I didn’t want to do it and I was honest about that, and then I surrendered the struggle because I understood it was the struggle that was causing me the discomfort. I instantly relaxed, stopped thinking about the time, and let something bigger than me take over and carry me through. I started noticing things around me that I hadn’t been aware of and my mind now had room for positive and encouraging thoughts. To my surprise, I not only did it but I didn’t experience it being as difficult as I had expected it to be. I felt proud of myself for going beyond the limited perception I had created for myself. I had the chance to die to that small vision of myself, albeit in this tiny corner of my life.
That’s how to count it all good, even the difficult and arduous, because it teaches you something about yourself. It brings forth aspects of yourself that create a more expanded version of you. When you’re fighting life and circumstances, you create pain. When you surrender, or give up the fight, you no longer feel attacked by life, circumstance, people, etc. When you’re no longer feeling attacked, you’re no longer seeing yourself as a victim. When you’re no longer seeing yourself as a victim, you’ve opened a doorway of possibility that was previously closed in your perception. Now you’ve entered into a space with a higher power where you can dialogue and co-mingle energetically. This is where creativity, magic and miracles can occur. Try to remember that the life you want doesn’t have to be fought for, but instead has to be allowed to come through you. Surrender is that allowing and that faith in the Truth of who you are as a being with purpose who is always guided, and whose life is unfolding perfectly through “good” and “bad”. So count it all good!
Here is somewhere to start with three easy steps to letting go and surrender that you can practice with challenging situations in your life or where you seek resolution and can’t see one at the moment.
Make the decision to surrender whatever it is…your life, your relationship, your career, your goals, your finances, your neurotic behavior patterns, something you perceive is not going your way, something you’ve really been wanting, etc.
Vocalize your intention to surrender this aspect of yourself or your life to your higher power (God, the Universe, Source, whatever you call your higher power). You can say something like, “I surrender this _______ to you knowing that your vision and wisdom will guide me in thought, word, and action. I surrender this knowing that the highest possible outcome is happening for all involved.” You can also write down the areas of your life that you’re surrendering on small pieces of paper and repeat the statement for each one, then you can put them away in a God box (Universe box, etc.) symbolizing you turning it over to a higher source. You could also rip each one up or burn each one to symbolize the act of letting it go.
Relax and trust. Now listen and pay attention to those intuitive nudges you get, that light bulb idea that pops into your head, that impulse to say or do something, that guiding inner voice, conversations with people who just happen to say exactly what you need to address your situation, messages you get even from strange sources like license plates, songs, a tv commercial, or a dream. There are so many ways that you could get the information you need to apply to your circumstance, or because you have relaxed through your act of letting go it has allowed the situation to unfold perfectly without you needing to do very much at all (isn’t that great?!).
Happy surrendering!