Surrender

Last updated on May 24, 2024

One of my favorite topics. This concept once I learned it changed the entire direction of my life. No, I’m not exaggerating. As the vast majority of people I was grinding my way through life. I wasn’t given the best of starts to life from one perspective. The fact that I had to do it the hard way, and the stronger that it made me, I think is a better perspective. It meant I worked harder, studied harder, and felt the need to outperform peers through dedication, long hours, and an ignorant preconception that I somehow had to prove I was as valuable as those that had a more traditional upbringing. With a promise to myself and my wife that our children would never know struggle. What a fool I was. Don’t get me wrong, I stand by hard work, integrity and work ethic. That shows intention and commitment to something larger that ones ego. The foolish part is that the excessive behavior was unnecessary and limiting. I did pretty well with the approach I took but it wasn’t until I faced the biggest challenge yet in life that I would learn why. The news that I had a rare medical condition, that would threaten what I had been working for and even my life on several occasions.

“”Accept whatever comes to you woven in the pattern of your destiny, for what could more aptly fit your needs?””

Marcus Aurelius

Due to one of the outcomes from my medical diagnosis, I was facing my own mortality at a relatively young age. Panic ensued, how would I continue working, sustain my families needs, etc. I made some drastic changes, chased higher paying and faster paced employment as my health deteriorated. I was bound and determined to acquire as many monetary resources for my family for after I was gone. Again.. foolish. I hope you see the pattern here. Anyway, with the cost of medical interventions, that effort didn’t amount to much beyond status quo, keeping me alive and all the while increasing dependence on my family. Then something amazing happened..

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try, the world is beyond the winning”

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 48

Through the sacrifice of a selfless, caring stranger, I was given a new chance at life. There are levels of sacrifice that most people will never know. It’s impossible to describe how humble and grateful I am for getting a second life physically, but that was only the beginning. This changed everything about the way I lived. I had so much gratitude. I witnessed a level of sacrifice from my wife and family that I didn’t know was possible. Our friends, neighbors, and community surrounded us and provided for us. My view of life and this world changed forever. Viewing everything through the lenses of gratitude and appreciation. If that still isn’t enough, it gets even better still.

Learning to Surrender

One could argue that things were already coming together for me in a profound way. Looking back, I had periodic indicators of the simplicity of surrender I just didn’t know it. At one point I had come across the book called “The Secret”, and other references to the “Law of Attraction”, “Manifestation” etc.. I decided to put this to the test. I started to not only exercise this idea but because I have a immutable necessity to figure out why things work creating my own reasoning. I began looking for opportunities to change my daily expectations. Things like expecting a close parking spot at work. “Never happens” we would always say. So I started to change this negative behavior and no joke, the very first time I said “I’m not only going to find a close parking stall but that one that is slightly closer than the handicap” (ironically), well you can imagine where I parked.

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Okay, so I learned a new trick. While I was convinced there is something to this, I was equally convinced that it had more to do with limiting disbelief which caused defeating behaviors. As an example, on any other day, I would have simply assumed the spot would not be there and headed out to the back parking lot without even checking. Fortunately there was enough there to forge ahead. You see, because of my experiences due to my health and the shift in my focus, I had a new openness to unscientific possibilities I would have struggled with in the past. I began to visualize a better life for myself and my family. I don’t mean a windfall of money, fancy cars, etc. I wanted peace and tranquility, reliable finances, and enhanced relationships. “A good life”. I began to think, feel, and act as if it was already mine. And it would be. The interesting catch is I had to let go of how I was going to receive it. Let go of my control of it. Let go of attachments I had stored. It came for me in the form of information. I was drawn to books, videos, courses that not only expanded my understanding of acceptance and surrender but so many other spiritual enhancements resulting in the exact condition I had intended.

Everything started to fall into place, synchronicity would show itself daily. Letting me know I was following the intended path. It was all so simple. We create our own conditions through intention. The universe will provide whatever it is we ask, good or bad and in a profound way. The only way to stop it is to attempt to control it. Your ego is not greater than the universe no matter what you believe. If you set a positive intention, think, feel and act as if it is yours and express gratitude for what will become, the path lights up in front of you. All you have to do is follow the inspiration and guidance given and you will arrive. The greatest part is the beauty and majesty of the journey. The experiences you have along the way. Of course you must use discernment and put in the work you are prompted for. You have some responsibility here.

Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be.

Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul

It’s also important to understand that the majority of the things we desire are at a higher frequency than where we’re currently at. Otherwise we’d already have them. Raise your vibration (see Hawkins scale, powerful stuff) and when you start resonating at these higher frequencies, you’ll find that these “manifestations” (don’t love the word but, eh.) begin to find their way into your life faster than you can even imagine. I had achieved what I was after in a relatively short period of time, a great job, amazing opportunity, comfortable income, life became easier, relationships unlike I even imagined they could be. I grew more spiritually than I had in the previous 40+ years. I am so blessed by the sequence of events that unfolded it is what motivated me to share in this way. My participation in this life experience is coming to an end but in addition to the ultimate gift of a new life, I was also a given a gift of peace and amazement. Looking back on the whole of it, through acceptance, surrender and flow, all aspects of life would not only have been much simpler and rewarding.

In a later post I will describe what I believe were game changing enhancements that when added, and in my opinion, make Life’s perfect recipe.

Special Recognition

Throughout my spiritual journey I read countless books, taken many courses, and hundreds if not thousands of hours of video. There is no other source that corrected my approach to life more than Michael A. Singer’s books. They really made me “get it”. I as many others am forever grateful to this man for the profound impact his work has had on my life. I always wanted to go visit his “Temple of the Universe” as described in the book and personally thank him. Sadly, despite my wife’s strong efforts to get me there, I didn’t make it as my health wouldn’t allow. Her along with my children have promised to take this trip for me and thank him on my behalf once I’m gone. I hope one of them decides to share their experience here.