Being open to pleasant surprises – how often have you planned something, but then the unexpected happens and it doesn’t turn out as you thought it would or your plans are derailed?
This happened to me last week, and when it happened, I was aware that there was a part of me that wanted to be upset about it, to have a bit of a meltdown and complain because I had these plans in place for a year and this wasn’t what was supposed to happen.
The nice thing was that there was a larger part of me that knew better. That knew being upset and having a meltdown would only make me feel worse and wouldn’t help anything. This part of me knew that all I had to do was relax into what was happening, surrender control and allow things to unfold.
And everything worked out beautifully. No, it wasn’t what I had planned, but I had a very positive and enjoyable experience. The worst things I could imagine that could have happened didn’t. I was fine. The situation worked out just fine (only different). I coped very well, even though a part of me was afraid I wouldn’t be able to.
There are several helpful takeaways from this experience:
It’s not that I didn’t really know these things before, but knowing and really experiencing are two different things. I learned a lot about myself from this experience.
So often we think we have to control everything and if things don’t work out exactly as we think they should then there’s something wrong. If you are a highly sensitive person and/or an introvert (like me), you probably over-analyze situations and because things can get so overwhelming for you, there is more of a need to try to control things.
You may also think that it’s impossible to change and ignore that critical inner voice that makes you want to become angry and frustrated – I promise you, it isn’t impossible, as this experience showed me.
Action Step: Think of a situation that’s not as you would like it to be. Tune in to the voice of resistance (this shouldn’t be happening) and the voice of surrender (it is happening so let’s lean into it and go with the flow). Which one are you giving more energy to? Can you give more energy to the voice of surrender and let yourself be pleasantly surprised?
Let this unstoppable affirmation support you on your journey (it’s one of my favorites, from Louise Hay):
Out of this situation, only good will come, for the Highest good of everyone. I am safe. All is well.
Be Unstoppable.
Linda
This happened to me last week, and when it happened, I was aware that there was a part of me that wanted to be upset about it, to have a bit of a meltdown and complain because I had these plans in place for a year and this wasn’t what was supposed to happen.
The nice thing was that there was a larger part of me that knew better. That knew being upset and having a meltdown would only make me feel worse and wouldn’t help anything. This part of me knew that all I had to do was relax into what was happening, surrender control and allow things to unfold.
And everything worked out beautifully. No, it wasn’t what I had planned, but I had a very positive and enjoyable experience. The worst things I could imagine that could have happened didn’t. I was fine. The situation worked out just fine (only different). I coped very well, even though a part of me was afraid I wouldn’t be able to.
There are several helpful takeaways from this experience:
- Things don’t always turn out as we planned or hoped, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
- There is always the voice of doubt and panic, and the voice of calm and certainty and we get to choose which one we listen to.
- When you surrender and allow yourself to go with the flow you can end up having a positive experience.
- You may just surprise yourself and be capable of more than you thought.
- Sometimes it’s nice to let go of control and allow yourself to be surprised.
It’s not that I didn’t really know these things before, but knowing and really experiencing are two different things. I learned a lot about myself from this experience.
So often we think we have to control everything and if things don’t work out exactly as we think they should then there’s something wrong. If you are a highly sensitive person and/or an introvert (like me), you probably over-analyze situations and because things can get so overwhelming for you, there is more of a need to try to control things.
You may also think that it’s impossible to change and ignore that critical inner voice that makes you want to become angry and frustrated – I promise you, it isn’t impossible, as this experience showed me.
Action Step: Think of a situation that’s not as you would like it to be. Tune in to the voice of resistance (this shouldn’t be happening) and the voice of surrender (it is happening so let’s lean into it and go with the flow). Which one are you giving more energy to? Can you give more energy to the voice of surrender and let yourself be pleasantly surprised?
Let this unstoppable affirmation support you on your journey (it’s one of my favorites, from Louise Hay):
Out of this situation, only good will come, for the Highest good of everyone. I am safe. All is well.
Be Unstoppable.
Linda
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