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Love / Surrender and Acceptance

When life doesn’t seem to be working out in the way that I think it should, I need to accept the reality, find peace within myself, and surrender the need to control.

Accepting life’s reality means accepting change and realize that it is a fundamental part of life and will happen. Holding on to situations lightly can ease the emotional loads I carry, and also reduce attachment and suffering. This means I still care, yet I’m able to detach from attaching. Practicing acceptance has brought me peace of mind, and it can really help me to surrender.

Finding peace within myself means accepting everything that’s happening around me and not take it personally. It involves learning to trust the process of what is happening, and let go of the outcomes. Many times the most challenging experiences of my life have led to my greatest growth.

The need to control is powerful for me, and I developed this negative trait as a survival technique growing up in a household with alcoholism & mental illness. My ability to control everything that was going on around me made me feel safe, and if I could predict what was going to happen, I would be okay.

Letting go of control is something I have to work on each and every day, firstly being able to recognize those times I start to control. Once I’ve recognized it, I have to take a step back & pause, then not take any action. The results of not taking immediate action when I’ve really wanted to have been remarkable. Answers to problems seem to appear and situations unfold on their own.

I’m grateful to have witnessed the process within myself, and to keep practicing these actions over & over. Surrender & acceptance go hand in hand, each following the other with life’s graceful balancing act.

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