Surrender Yourself to Success

Indian Ocean in Bali

When you surrender to what is

and so become fully present,

the past ceases to have any power.

The realm of Being, which had been obscured by

the mind, then opens up.

Suddenly, a great stillness arises within you,

an unfathomable sense of peace.

And within that peace, there is great joy.

And within that joy, there is love.

And at the innermost core, there is the sacred,

the immeasurable, That which cannot be named.

-       Practicing the Power of Now

I came across this passage sitting on the beach in Bali of a 5 star resort experiencing the beautiful sun and sea of the Indian Ocean while drinking a freshly made lemongrass and ginger iced tea.  This was at the end of the trip so I was really getting over the discomfort of the idleness and embracing the presence of the beauty that surrounded me.  Reading the quote has a much different meaning in that atmosphere than in an atmosphere of long work hours, staff, a “to do” list, responsibilities, people counting on you, relationships, bills, and obligations and commitments.  It is easy to surrender to “what is” when the “what is” is exactly what you want.  It is much more challenging to surrender to the “what is” when the “what is” is the very thing that brings you discomfort in the first place.  What have you been resisting? What places challenge you and bring you to places you have been avoiding? What fears are controlling you that you have been putting off facing for a long time? Whatever fear you have owns you. Whatever you fight owns you.

I can totally relate to the idea that peace, joy, and love is only found in the present. Whenever I find myself out of peace, joy, and love, it is always because I am living in the past or the future.  I am creating a disempowering story of my past or I am living in fear of the future.  When I get myself back to the only thing that is real, the present moment, my past and future cease to have any power over me.  It takes constant conscious awareness on my part to do this. I always find myself drifting to the past and the future.  I must make constant reminders to get back to the present.  What used to take months then took weeks.  What used to take weeks then took hours.  What used to take hours then took minutes.  What used to take minutes then took seconds.  What used to take seconds then took a moment.  What used to take moments became so indistinguishable that my choices and my reactions became one and the same to where I am always acting in accordance to an individual that lives every moment in the present with peace, joy, and love.  Or at least this is what I am working towards.

What are you working towards?

Love,

Matt