Choose To Surrender

In today’s world we’re taught that if we want to be successful, we have to be tough. To get what we want we can never quit and never give in. It’s a narrative that comes from a society that is oriented around achievement and accomplishment at all costs… But I think it’s a bit misunderstood.

This is best demonstrated by the idea of ‘surrendering’. To surrender is thought to be a bad thing - it means that you let someone else defeat you, that you weren’t strong enough, and that you’re giving up on something that you care about. Like surrendering in war or sports, it means that you forfeit and let the other side win.

But let’s open up the concept of ‘surrender’ to its fuller meaning. To surrender simply means 'to choose to release your resistance'. On one hand, yes, opposing forces can impose their power over you... But on the other it helps you stop resisting things that can truly serve you.

For example, from a spiritual or religious sense, we’re called to surrender to a higher power. There’s a divine plan or destiny written for us that maximizes the contribution we can make to the world. However our own internal resistance, fear, and uncertainty keeps us from accessing it. Our logical, rational minds are getting in the way of what we’re meant for. But when we surrender, trust, and have faith that what’s meant to happen will happen, we open ourselves up to a new level of alignment and impact.

Having said that, this is difficult to do because the ego wants us to be in control. It wants to architect our reality so that it’s more predictable and stable. To surrender is to release control. But you can reject the ego and open yourself up as a vessel for divine intervention. And the deeper you surrender, the less anxious you feel about everything because you know that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, experiencing exactly what you’re meant to experience, and guided in the exact ways you you’re meant to be guided.

As humans we all have a deep need for meaning. Our souls feel malnourished without it. And I’m far from perfect, but I believe that one of the best ways to find and serve your unique purpose is to choose to surrender.