Like many of us, I lead a busy life.
I want to accomplish a lot. I want to achieve success.
That’s why surrender is so important to me.
What Is Surrendering?
Though the word “surrender” may seem to be the complete opposite of success–it’s wrongly associated with weakness and defeat–knowing when to be assertive and when to let go is the secret to manifesting power, success, and intuition in all areas of life.
Otherwise, you can sabotage success by being too pushy or a control freak.
Related: How To Achieve Success One Step At A Time
Surrendering removes roadblocks and the exhaustion that comes from “trying too hard.”
I’ve come to appreciate that surrender is never about being perfect. It’s doing your best and remaining authentic. Being perfect is impossible. It’s just a futile attempt to control what can’t be controlled.
As a recovering workaholic, admittedly I still have a lot I want to achieve in my life, from writing, to helping patients, to teaching. There are also practical, noble daily successes from working out to paying bills to making a dent in my to-do list of chores.
I take pride in my accomplishments, large and small, no matter how mundane. I also realize that success doesn’t have to involve many goals–what matters is the clarity and heart we bring to a task.
However, for me, success can never be about just what I “do.” It’s also when I can laugh, love, and really surrender to feeling happy about the tiniest things.
Related: 8 Reasons To Be Happy (Even On Your Hardest Days)
It’s reveling in winter thunderstorms, warm fires, night-blooming jasmine, and shooting stars. It’s having a peaceful mind and some blessed downtime rather than knotting myself in frustration, especially when things falls apart.
I don’t always succeed at this, but I am learning. If we can’t find even an inkling of happiness inside, on both steep and easy paths, we won’t be able to enjoy the aspect of success that I’m suggesting which is independent of accomplishments.
Surrendering to happiness will not only calm us and make our lives more fulfilling, but will help us achieve success as well.
How To Use Surrender To Be Successful
1. Surrender helps us stay focused
In our business and personal lives, it’s easy to get distracted by incorrect ideas of success. We compare ourselves to others who are wealthier, higher up the corporate ladder, thinner, younger, or more attractive.
Related: How To Be Happy With Your Life (Because You Deserve It)
Learning to surrender comparisons enables us to wish others well, and then we can refocus on energy on our own opportunities, talents, skills, and assets. As a result, we get instant relief from self-doubt, and a big jolt of confidence and purpose.
2. Surrender expands creativity
Being rigid and single-minded in the pursuit of success will only make you lose sight of other possibilities. Letting go of our addiction to stress and struggle allows us to change our relationship to time and organization.
Related: How To Find Your Inner Creative Genius
We may find, for example, that looking up at the sky in the middle of a particularly jam-packed day lets the mind wander to the shape of the clouds, which leads to another thought. When we go back to our work, we have a new idea about how to tackle the task.
3. Surrender helps us achieve our goals
We’ve been taught to keep our eye firmly on the goal we want to achieve so that everything we do, say, and accomplish gets us closer to that goal. The problem with this approach is that its premise is faulty: after a certain point, we cannot control outcomes.
Related: 3 Steps To Achieve A New Goal
There’s a better way. By keeping your eye on what you can control–your breath, your emotions, your outlook, and your self-care–surprising things will begin to happen for you. You’ll feel positive, happy, and healthy. People will respond to you. You’ll feel energized and inspired. Soon, you’ll have exactly what you want.
The Takeaway
Many think that to achieve success means to be a high-powered, fancy-suited businessman barking orders. But really, being successful means being happy. And surrendering your worries and negative emotions will make you achieve that.
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Judith Orloff MD is a psychiatrist, intuitive healer, and NY Times bestselling author. Her latest book is The Ecstasy of Surrender: 12 Surprising Ways Letting Go Can Empower Your Life. Dr. Orloff synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition, energy, and spirituality. She passionately believes that the future of medicine involves integrating all this wisdom to achieve emotional freedom and total wellness. To learn more about the power of surrender visit www.drjudithorloff.com.
Photo by dream a little bigger, darling
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