Give Up Control and Life Gets A Lot Easier
Excerpted from the book: The Goddess of Happiness, A
Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss by Debbie
Gisonni
I've hated surprise parties ever since my mother threw me one
for my sixteenth birthday--an age when the last thing you want
to do is party with your mother and her friends. I never
encourage visitors to drop by my house without calling first.
And I would never allow the success of a dinner party I'm giving
to be contingent upon what guests bring . . . or don't. Call me
a control freak (I prefer to use the term "Type A personality"),
but I like things to run smoothly and as planned. I can't help
it. I was born Type A, all the way--driven to succeed, no matter
what the challenge. Organized, productive, and reliable. Always
in control. How great to be in complete control of my own
destiny! Whether it was the next job I wanted or my next day's
outfit, I planned and executed each with the same intensity and
drive. Like a hungry cheetah chasing a gazelle, there was
nothing stopping me in my run from point A to point B.
Then life threw me a couple of unexpected curves, all outside of
my control. That sense of security and control I had built my
life upon was instantly proven nonexistent--a mirage between my
mind and reality. It took awhile for me to figure out that there
are scenes on this grand stage of life that are impromptu and
uncontrollable. During those times, the only healthy thing to do
is to give up control, and surrender.
Surrendering does not mean giving up your power. It's more about
asking the universe to come to your aid and trusting that it
will. If you're like me, maybe you need to hit a brick wall (or
two) before you finally surrender that gripping hold you have on
every outcome in your life. When my will is bruised and
battered, I naturally loosen up the reigns of control, mainly
because I have no energy left to fight. If you're set on a
particular goal and can only see one path to get there, you're
cheating yourself of happiness that can come in unexpected ways.
It is only when you surrender control of your life and of the
lives of others that you truly become an empowered. That's when
you can believe in miracles, and dreams that come true with just
a wish, not a plan.