I Give Up | Surrender To The Universe When Resistance Takes Over

Surrender is and act of courage, not weakness

The Universe doesn’t have my back…(or so it feels) when I operate from a position of resistance. I recently had a little tete-a-tete with that very personal brand of resistance that came in the flavor of a professional disappointment. Sometimes we receive messages, but act as if “I can’t hear you” – which essentially translates to…I can only hear what I want to hear. The bottom line is that we do get guidance and direction when we ask (and listen). And we must have a willingness to accept the fact that a spoonful of that medicine is often just what the doctor ordered.So perhaps instead of asking the Universe to tell you what you want to hear – be truly open to receive.What’s your spiritual practice? What is the thing that helps you recalibrate or set your day off on an aligned and centered path? I’ve prayed my entire life, but within the past 2 years have witnessed the power of meditation – both on and off the mat. Sometimes I take my troubles to the woods behind my house.

There, grounded amongst a dense expanse of trees, I lay my problems on the altar. This is my church. This is one of the places where my answers come forth.

Knowing what helps you is critical to your self-care. And sometimes desperate times require desperate measures – like getting up from the desk (where I spend half my life). This simple act of “rebellion” can help me see the truth between the trees. It also calms me when something goes awry - allowing me to settle back into myself without my ego spinning out of control, whipping up stories and outcomes.Back to the story…I’m a stubborn creature of habit and like a dog with a bone, if given a task, a project or a commitment…I will follow through to fruition at all costs. This isn’t necessarily a great quality. Let me explain more.Last weeks incident set me off on a negative emotional trajectory. Ironically, the event had little do to with me and was more about someone else not fully showing up, but I decided to bear the burden like only a good martyr can. The event itself is irrelevant, but what is more important is how I didn’t show up for me. I quickly slipped into self-doubt and mentally berated myself. It was as if I was being led down a dark corridor by my bruised ego – come this way little girl, let me make you feel worse than you already do. I reluctantly followed as if on autopilot, an old habit that fit like a glove. Lost in this vortex, I couldn’t get out of my own way long enough to see that I had in fact been receiving messages. And even after that event was behind me, I was still feeling deflated, tired, and frustrated. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just blame it all on Mercury in Retrograde?

There was a deeper spiritual assignment at play for me.

So here is how my routine played out – mental gymnastics for a few days, sprinkled with self-judgment and self-shaming - resulting in some pain in my hip, and a serious case of dulled-down joie de vivre. The Universe hadn’t abandoned me. It was attempting to guide me.Sometimes not getting what we want is exactly what we need. In a culture that tells us we cannot judge – this message can get processed sideways as if to say, “I’m not entitled to feel what I feel.” I say, don’t judge your feelings. When we learn to tackle that one, the self-shaming can come to an end.So how do we shift – and how do we get to the core of the hidden gift? Underneath every event is a golden ticket to another party, a key to unlock a new path.The way we release things is by simply deciding to give them up, whether they are negative feelings, thoughts or disappointments. This is precisely the time to hit the meditation mat or head out into nature. Ironically, the more agitated we are with ourselves, the busier we remain and the further we move from our spiritual practice. You don’t have to have the answers, just the willingness to ask. You can even say the words aloud, or silently, in prayer:

• Help me.
• I’m giving this one to you.
• I don’t know what to do with this.
• Help me align with my highest self to see the truth of this situation.
• Why is this being presented to me, what is the deeper message I need to understand?

The mere act of surrender, a silent plea for help – can shift that energy immediately. Whether it’s in the arena of your work or your personal relationships, or any space you may be feeling frustration, utter the words – “I give up.” I give up resistance in all forms.

Surrender can be the greatest act of courage.

Co-creating with the Universe isn’t for the faint of heart. Trusting in a higher source isn’t an act of sleepwalking — it is an alignment of faith.Are you holding onto something that makes you feel energetically drained? If so, know that you can decide to release yourself from its grasp at anytime and co-create with the flow of the Universe. We were meant to dance and be joyous. Tap into your ownJoy-ometer and take an honest reading of what’s going down in your life. I’m giving up self-doubt and denial — do you want to join that party, the one that soothes your soul?Are you ready to give up?