Surrender and Freedom
Author: Angela Gonzalez
When people struggle, toil and battle to achieve a goal—and it doesn’t happen—there are three emotional responses: we can stuff our feelings or turn them outward so everyone shares in our negative experience or we can surrender. Which shall it be? You could surrender now—it’s easier in the long run. When you let go, it can feel like a state of grace. It’s not about “giving in” but giving up the idea of how it has to be.
However, you may be saying, “No one gets how important this is to me, or how critical and complex it is to get the right outcome, so I must try harder or I must exert more control.” All the better reason to look at the results you’re getting, because they don’t lie. You may be working hard in service of a worthy goal for yourself or others, but if you’re feeling miserable, vengeful, discouraged, bitter, hurt or exhausted, think how the people around you are feeling.
You’re not alone, and there is a different way to navigate from this place. Take a deep breath—and surrender. In letting go, you call into action all the possibilities for how you want to be with this situation. It’s not about controlling yourself or others, but extending compassion and empathy to yourself in this difficult situation. In surrender, this moment is just for you and no other. One of two things can happen: you find a new way to be in the same situation or the situation will change by itself. If you don’t believe it, ask others who have gone before you. Just ask.