When you surrender, you open yourself to the results that are possible from cooperation.

Today’s theme is surrender.

What exactly IS surrender when it’s not just a pretty word that makes me sound all spiritual? How do we become really practical about the benefits of surrender?

It’s easy to resist the idea of surrender, because it feels like “If I surrender I’ll be allowing the things around me to control me. I’ll be at the mercy of my environment.” 

Sometimes it helps to understand something, by taking a look at its opposite. When we are not in surrender, we are always fighting what’s happening. In the absence of surrender we are always in resistance, always in survival mode. And if I always react to my environment by fighting it, then the truth is that I AM at the mercy of what’s happening around me. My environment is 100% in control of how I act.

Surrender IS how we free ourselves from being controlled. Surrender allows us to be OK despite what is happening around us. Surrender teaches us that we can even be happy in the middle of the storm. And now in this place of surrender my options are no longer just fight or flight, because surrender expands my options and helps me see that there are many more avenues available to me when I am not in a state of fear.

From this place of surrender I might see that a kind word would be more helpful than fighting. 

From this place of surrender I might see that taking no action at all is most helpful because there is nothing that I can control here, I should just let things run their course.

But please understand that being in surrender doesn’t mean taking fighting or running off the table as possible options. There ARE moments when pushing back or stepping up to the fight are the best course of action, but it’s the difference between letting your fear push you into the fight or seeing with clarity that this is the wisest choice.

“The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you.” – Swami Vivekananda

“That man has reached immortality who is disturbed by nothing material.” – Swami Vivekananda

“Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin; to say that you are weak.” – Swami Vivekananda

“In a conflict between the heart and the brain, follow your heart.” – Swami Vivekananda

When you fight, you limit yourself to the results that are possible from fighting. When you surrender, you open yourself to the results that are possible from cooperation.

A few thoughts to ponder as you explore the power of surrender in your own life:

• Is my resistance serving me, or is it keeping me stuck?
• Can I find peace and acceptance in the present moment?
• What options might I be missing when I’m in a state of fight-or-flight?
• Am I acting out of fear, or am I responding with clarity and purpose?

In surrender, our options expand. By embracing surrender, we open ourselves to a world of possibilities, greater resilience, and a newfound sense of inner peace. So next time you find yourself resisting, take a deep breath, release the tension you’re holding, and see what magic unfolds.

– pierre –

Today’s LIVE meditation is: Surrender.