How and Why to Stay Positive

by Dr. Travis Bradberry -

When faced with setbacks and challenges, we've all received the well-meaning advice to "stay positive." The greater the challenge, the more this glass-half-full wisdom can come across as Pollyannaish and unrealistic.

It's hard to find the motivation to focus on the positive when positivity seems like nothing more than wishful thinking.

The real obstacle to positivity is that our brains are hard-wired to look for and focus on threats. This survival mechanism served humankind well back when we were hunters and gatherers, living each day with the very real threat of being killed by someone or something in our immediate surroundings. That was eons ago.

Today, this mechanism breeds pessimism and negativity through the mind's tendency to wander until it finds a threat. These "threats" magnify the perceived likelihood that things are going—and/or are going to go—poorly.

When the threat is real and lurking in the bushes down the path, this mechanism serves you well. When the threat is imagined and you spend two months convinced the project you're working on is going to flop, this mechanism leaves you with a soured view of reality that wreaks havoc in your life.

Positivity and Your Health

Pessimism is trouble because it's bad for your health. Numerous studies have shown that optimists are physically and psychologically healthier than pessimists.

Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania has conducted extensive research on the topic, and often explores an important distinction—whether people consider their failures the product of personal deficits beyond their control or mistakes they can fix with effort.

Seligman finds much higher rates of depression in people who pessimistically attribute their failures to personal deficits. Optimists, however, treat failure as a learning experience and believe they can do better in the future.

To examine physical health, Seligman worked with researchers from Dartmouth and the University of Michigan on a study that followed people from age 25 to 65 to see how their levels of pessimism or optimism influenced or correlated with their overall health.

The researchers found that pessimists' health deteriorated far more rapidly as they aged. Seligman's findings are similar to research conducted by the Mayo Clinic that found optimists have lower levels of cardiovascular disease and longer life-spans.

Although the exact mechanism through which pessimism affects health hasn't been identified, researchers at Yale and the University of Colorado found that pessimism is associated with a weakened immune response to tumors and infection.

Researchers from the Universities of Kentucky and Louisville went so far as to inject optimists and pessimists with a virus to measure their immune response. The researchers found optimists had a significantly stronger immune response than pessimists.

Positivity and Performance

Keeping a positive attitude isn't just good for your health. Martin Seligman has also studied the connection between positivity and performance.

In one study in particular, he measured the degree to which insurance salespeople were optimistic or pessimistic in their work, including whether they attributed failed sales to personal deficits beyond their control or circumstances they could improve with effort.

Optimistic salespeople sold 37% more policies than pessimists, who were twice as likely to leave the company during their first year of employment.

Seligman has studied positivity more than anyone, and he believes in the ability to turn pessimistic thoughts and tendencies around with simple effort and know-how. But Seligman doesn't just believe this.

His research shows that people can transform a tendency toward pessimistic thinking into positive thinking through simple techniques that create lasting changes in behavior long after they are discovered.

Your brain just needs a little help to defeat its negative inner voice.

TWO SIMPLE STEPS

To that end, I've provided two simple steps for you to follow that will begin training your brain to focus on the positive.

Step 1. Separate Fact from Fiction

The first step in learning to focus on the positive requires knowing how to stop negative self-talk in its tracks. The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them. Most of our negative thoughts are just that—thoughts, not facts.

When you find yourself believing the negative and pessimistic things your inner voice says, it's time to stop and write them down. Literally stop what you're doing and write down what you're thinking. Once you've taken a moment to slow down the negative momentum of your thoughts, you will be more rational and clear-headed in evaluating their veracity.

Evaluate these statements to see if they're factual. You can bet the statements aren't true any time you see words like never, always, worst, ever, etc. Do you really always lose your keys? Of course not. Perhaps you forget them frequently, but most days you do remember them.

Are you never going to find a solution to your problem? If you really are that stuck, maybe you've been resisting asking for help. Or if it really is an intractable problem, then why are you wasting your time beating your head against the wall?

If your statements still look like facts once they're on paper, take them to a friend or colleague you can trust, and see if he or she agrees with you. Then the truth will surely come out.

When it feels like something always or never happens, this is just your brain's natural threat tendency inflating the perceived frequency or severity of an event. Identifying and labeling your thoughts as thoughts by separating them from the facts will help you escape the cycle of negativity and move toward a positive new outlook.

Step 2. Identify a Positive to Replace the Negative

Now that you have a tool to snap yourself out of self-defeating, negative thoughts, it's time to help your brain learn what you want it to focus on—the positive.

This will come naturally after some practice, but first you have to give your wandering brain a little help by consciously selecting something positive to think about. Any positive thought will do to refocus your brain's attention.

When things are going well, and your mood is good, this is relatively easy. When things are going poorly, and your mind is flooded with negative thoughts, this can be a challenge. In these moments, think about your day and identify one positive thing that happened, no matter how small.

If you can't think of something from the current day, reflect on the previous day or even the previous week. Or perhaps there is an exciting event you are looking forward to that you can focus your attention on.

The point here is you must have something positive that you're ready to shift your attention to when your thoughts turn negative.

In step one, you learned how to strip the power from negative thoughts by separating fact from fiction. Step two is to replace the negative with a positive.

Once you have identified a positive thought, draw your attention to that thought each time you find yourself dwelling on the negative. If that proves difficult, you can repeat the process of writing down the negative thoughts to discredit their validity, and then allow yourself to freely enjoy positive thoughts.

I realize these two steps sound incredibly basic but they have tremendous power because they retrain your brain to have a positive focus.

These steps break old habits, if you force yourself to use them. Given the mind's natural tendency to wander toward negative thoughts, we can all use a little help with staying positive. Put these steps to use and you'll reap the physical, mental and performance benefits that come with a positive frame of mind.

POSITIVITY IS CONTAGIOUS

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Points of View

by James Clair Lewis -

The Ego, being a focal point of Consciousness in the Material World, must necessarily have its own point of view, (otherwise how could it relate to what's going on?). 

Each Ego develops a World View and a set of attitudes, which color perception and channel how the Ego will interpret and react to events happening around it.

Depending upon how Enlightened a person happens to be, this world view will correspond (or not) to what is actually happening. 

It can happen that a person's World View may be so far afield from reality, that it is unable to actually relate to things as they are but instead, the person relates to things solely upon their own beliefs of what is going on and is for all practical purposes, totally in their own head.

Are you bound by beliefs?

I'm sure you've seen this happen. It's difficult not to notice when somebody is so bound by their beliefs, that they can only relate to them and not truly see you at all. Pretty frustrating, too, isn't it?

Now I am not 'exactly' what you could call a mainstream thinker. I began studying and practicing both Eastern and Western Metaphysics and Occultism in 1967, when I was 16.... enough time so that I might actually know something about this stuff as a matter of working knowledge. 

Thoughts Effect Conditions

One of the major themes of this sort of thinking, is that our thoughts, beliefs and world view actually have considerable effect upon the conditions that occur around us.

Generally this notion is only taken to the point of saying that we gravitate conditions into our lives that correspond with how we view our relationship with the Universe. 

So if you think negatively, you will miss opportunities, while if you think positively, all sorts of wonderful things can happen. They say that "thoughts are things" and it is most certainly true that every discovery began with an observation and that every invention, began with an idea.

Obviously, I believe this to be true. But I would like to take this just a step further and show you a bit of how what is called Magick actually operates. 

Our Preconceptions

You see, our preconceptions not only shape how we interpret what is going on around us but they also affect the behavior of the people we deal with. 

It is like our attitudes put a sort of Spell upon people. If you hold an attitude about somebody, you sort of make it difficult for that person to behave much differently than how you conceive of them.

I think the extent of this subtle effect is proportional to how closely it matches things going on inside that individual. If a person's attitude about somebody else is hopelessly colored by their own hopes and fears, it's not going to mesh very well. 

However, if the attitude has some basis in reality, then it will attach to some degree and bring out that quality in that individual. So if you expect somebody to be difficult or angry, you really are making it rather difficult for them to behave in any different way around you.

Ah... but here's the Key. 

If you observe carefully, you will discover what the best qualities actually exist in somebody you deal with on a regular basis. Then, if you make the effort to think about them as being their best self, you can actually draw those inherent good qualities out in them. Try it! Have you got anything to lose?

jamesclairlewis.com

Quantum Physics and the Law of Attraction

by Marie C. Barrett - 

Do you really want to learn the principles of Quantum Physics or understand quantum theory?

In connection to how we attract what we experience, it may be a good idea to have some basic understanding of the relationship between the Law of Attraction and Quantum Physics.

While we may not be interested in calculating the math, we can certainly apply the principles that scientists have discovered that form the building blocks of the universe. 

It is the implications of quantum mechanics for creating the life of our dreams that interests us here. How we use the Law of Attraction is now backed up by the latest discoveries of Quantum Physics.

The universe is vibrating energy, fluid and always changing. 

It holds the potential energy to form into any kind of creation.

Our quest is to learn how to harness this unformed potential energy to create what we desire in our life. 

The Law of Attraction is our tool par excellence for molding unformed energy into whatever reality we believe is possible.

Scientists openly recognize the spiritual, non-physical aspect and origin of this universal creative energy. This Source Energy is all that is and all that can ever be. Everything is potential energy, moving in and out of specific manifestation, creating different realities of experience. 

It is Source Energy creating experience in ever more diverse ways, creating, evolving, re-creating, beginning and ending in the most magnificent way.

As above, so below, as the saying goes, and put in simple terms, Source Energy creates through establishing a spiritual, divine design matrix and through the Law of Attraction, this matrix or inner thought attracts energy that forms according to this template. 

Thought then actually harnesses energy in such a way that it manifests as a new reality. 

We too, as extensions of Source Energy, who Jesus refers to as "my Father in heaven", create in exactly the same way. 

We create what we think about, what we resonate with at an energetic level. This is precisely the Law of Attraction in action, the science of possibility creation.

The Law of Attraction helps us transform the energy of our thoughts and beliefs into our new reality as we mold, manipulate and form potential energy. 

This is how we create our experience of the universe. 

From the sea of fluid, dynamic potential Source Energy, we, through our thoughts, transform this energy into new manifestations of our reality.

We do this, whether we are aware of it or not. But now that we are aware of the process of how the Law of Attraction works, we can set about deliberately creating our experiences and realities, and create the life we want to experience.

Rather than allowing life to happen to us, individually and collectively, we can now choose our own reality and create a more productive, empowering and wonderful life in our shared reality for everyone on the entire planet. 

This is not just pie in the sky, it is absolutely possible, based on sound scientific and spiritual principles. As more and more people realize they create their experiences through their thoughts and their energetic resonance, the future looks wonderful for our world.

Already we look into the heavens at night and believe we will travel beyond the stars some day soon. 

As this thought receives more energy from humanity, that energetic resonance will reach critical mass and we will have moved into our future of space capability, time travel and so much more.

You can turn your personal dreams into reality. 

This is what holistic wealth is all about. You can create love, health, prosperity, money and whatever dreams you dare to dream. 

All you need is the courage to dream, the will to ask and the determination to achieve and the joy to allow your dreams to manifest for you in the most delightful way.

In further articles, we will discuss ways of actually implementing the Law of Attraction to create what we want, but as a start, we have established the connection between the principles of quantum physics and the universal Law of Attraction.

holisticwealthcreation.com

Create Your Reality the Way You Want It

by Marie C. Barrett -

Much has been written about the Law of Attraction, but how do we move from reading about this universal law to actually manifesting what we want to experience on our life?

We already know from the recent research and publicity given to the findings of quantum physics, and the Law of Attraction, that we actually create our own reality.

Most people do so by default. They don’t even realize that they are creating their life experiences and therefore they are unable to change what they are getting.

Today I would like to offer you some ways to actually create exactly what you want, the way you want it, using the Law of Attraction.

You can start to create your day instead of enduring whatever comes at you. So here are some ideas to ponder.

If any resonate within your spirit, ponder them more deeply and try doing what they lead you to do.

I cannot go into all the whys and how’s in one article but here are a few ideas on how to design what you want to experience, consciously and deliberately.

IDEAS TO PONDER:

1. You have three basis levels of consciousness:

a. conscious (mind)
b. sub-conscious (body)
c. super-conscious (spirit) 

2. You create at all three levels of consciousness through:

a. thought – the idea emerges
b. word – the thought takes on its own identity and becomes specific
c. deed – the idea condenses into experience through you taking action 

3. When you formulate a thought you begin forming energy into the form of that idea, but the idea alone does not yet manifest into your physical experience. 

4. When you take that thought and begin to energize it with intention and focus (speak it - word), you “amass” or condense more energy around the creation. It is still not at the stage of experience because it needs one more creative element. 

5. This creative element requires you take action (deed).You actively create the circumstances in your life that nurture the manifestation of the thought, word and now the deed. Here you take focused action to achieve the outcome you want.

To summarize:

You create through mind, body and spirit: thought, word and deed.

This is by no means the whole picture of the creative process but it is a great foundation upon which to build.

When all is said and done however, if you do what makes your heart sing, your life will take on a wonderful streaming energy of joy.

This feeling of joy starts the whole process over again but at a higher level of expanded awareness.

holisticwealthcreation.com

An Antidote to the 'Problem'

Rev. Casey Roberts -

When someone we know or love is in crisis, our worlds begin to spin. There is suddenly so much to think about…

• understanding the nature of the problem,
• finding a solution to the problem,
• communicating the problem to others.

And in the wake of all this, the problem suddenly becomes the major point of focus. In essence, what we want—which is our joy—begins to dissolve as all of our thoughts and efforts focus on what we don’t want—the problem.

At the same time, we want to help. 

In the case of illness, for example, we may want to “be there” for our family members, spouses or friends as they move through the medical mill of diagnosis and treatment.

So we read what we can about the illness, its causes and its treatments. We become familiar with new terminology and new realms of science. And still, it’s all about the problem.

Problems are not constructive. Problems tend to bring with them only fear. So, when we focus on the problem, we are focusing on fear.

When this happens to someone we care about, it is as though they say to us, “I’m really afraid.” And our response becomes, “Okay. Because I love you, I’ll be afraid too.”

We don’t offer our care and support to people because we're afraid. We offer our care and support to people because we love them. And it is our love that facilitates their healing--not our fear.

When someone gets sick, they are not their illness. When someone’s marriage falls apart, they are not their divorce. When someone we love is in crisis, the things about that person that engendered our love are still present. 

It is in meeting them in that place, a place of love, that we are both healed.

Now I’m not suggesting for a moment that when a friend or loved one is in crisis that we deny the challenges that they are facing and act as if nothing is happening. Nor am I suggesting that if someone is in pain that we disregard their feelings.

But I am saying that when people we love are in crisis, they need not be treated as though they have suddenly been transformed into their "problem." 

That which first engendered your love for that person is still there. The joy and beauty of that person is still present. It's only by looking into the essence of those we love that we can meet them at the place where true healing occurs.

There is a phrase that I heard for many years…and it took me many years to understand it.

The phrase is, “Holding the space for someone.” “Holding the space” can mean a variety of things. But, for me, it means that I hold a space in my heart for someone’s joy—-even when they are sad; I hold a space in my heart for someone’s wellness—-even when they are sick; I hold a space in my heart for someone’s abundance—even as they are losing their home.

And when I hold that space in my heart for someone, I find that I’m no longer focusing on the problem or my fears or their fears. 

Instead, I am keeping alive a vision of their joy. 

I am keeping alive the truth of who they are—-beyond the problems and the pain. I am keeping alive a place to which they can return once the storm is over.

To heal is to make whole. It is to mend what has been broken. 

And when we support another person’s healing, it is inevitable that we will be healed as well. But that can never be accomplished when our thoughts are focused only on what is wrong. 

It can only be accomplished when we remember the love that binds us together.

revcaseyroberts.com

The Science Of Positive Manifestation

by Michelle Walling -

Are you the type of person that starts the day with a smile? Have you always wanted to be like that person who always seems to be in a good mood?

Knowing how the brain works biologically can help you understand why it is so hard to change feelings of depression, sadness, or anything other than joy.

Lost in translation

Many people have been struggling with positivity their whole lives.

As negative emotions arise, they know that these emotions must be transmitted to joy in order to raise their vibration but sometimes the struggle seems almost impossible. 

The law of attraction states that what you think you will create. 

A deeper understanding of why this law works lies in the chemistry of the brain and how your heart and brain interact with each other.

The heart and the brain send signals to each other all of the time. 

One misnomer is that the brain runs the show but the truth is that the heart is the epicenter of creation.

While voluntary muscles get signals from the brain; the heart, which is an involuntary muscle actually runs the show from behind the curtain.

Your heart generates neuropeptides which are small protein-like molecules (peptides) used by neurons to communicate with each other.

These neuropeptides are the food that your brain uses to create your reality and this creates an emotion or energy that reflects the state of being of these neuropeptides. 

All emotions produce a physical feeling in your body that originate from the neuropeptides that have been pumped into your bloodstream from your heart. Your heart tells your brain how to react and what to do.

The brain cells have receptors that are created to assimilate the food (neuropeptides) they receive.

These receptors are formed to accept that food and are used to that kind of food. You are therefore used to those kinds of emotions created by that kind of food.

Every second millions of brain cells die off and new ones are birthed.

If you change the type of food that feeds your brain, your brain can create new transmitters that fit the new food. As old neurotransmitters die off and new transmitters are created, it gets addicted to the new transmitters which can create positive feelings.

In summary, positive thinking can produce the positive energy in motion that can trick your brain into producing the receivers that create a positive reality.

Push the “easy button” to help get through the hardest times

These simple brain tricks can help you stay out of the highs and lows and move towards a more balanced flow:

• Meditate  

You will find this at the top of any Spiritual how to list. There is no substitute for going within the heart center on the spiritual path. 

• Fall in love  

Being in love is the best way to be in joy. 

• Listen to uplifting music  

Anything that makes you feel good inside is acceptable, no matter what other people think. 

• Laugh  

Get together with positive friends and have a good time, or even watch a sitcom that makes you laugh out loud. Every now and then, TV can be used as a tool. Watch a hilariously funny movie and enjoy some organic popcorn. 

• Smile  

Try turning the edges of your mouth up right now and see if you can feel the energy that runs through your body. Try smiling at everyone you run across the grocery store and see if you can help spread this feeling to someone else. That in itself makes you feel good inside. 

• Dance  

Dancing gets your endorphins moving like nothing else. Dance like no one is watching. 

• Sunlight  

Our sun is the fuel we need to dissolve negativity. If you live in a place that gets little sun, imagine being in the sun or take a vacation to a sunny place. 

• Reminders

Place sticky notes by your bed so that when you wake up you will remind yourself of your goals. Put them in your workspace and in the kitchen and on the bathroom mirror. They can say whatever you want but a good place to start is “I am happy, I am healthy, and I am free”.

At first if you don’t succeed, try, try again

If you fall off the horse, it is wise to get back on. It will take practice to erase years of programming.

Eventually you will notice that you feel a little lighter and even if you fall back into pattern of negativity, awareness is all it takes to change it back the other direction.

This process is very important to the time that we live in today, while we are transmuting emotions that are patterns of past, future and present lives steeped in karma. 

Raising your vibration takes work and is something that will manifest joy. Now is the time to rise above all that is happening in our world.

Whether you view things as the observer or as the activist you can learn how to do it in joy.

Joy can be found within the heart center and until you experience this naturally, you can fall back on tricking your brain to get a shortcut to where you need to be.

About author: Michelle Walling is a Certified Holistic Life Coach and Radio Host on The Cosmic Awakening Show. She has devoted her life to being a bearer and grounder of the light in service to others. As a truth seeker, she is committed to share her experiences with the world. She is also a hands-on healer, a distance healer, an empath and an intuitive.

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The Success Formula

by Jack Canfield -

The Formula that Puts You in Control of Success:

What prevents you from achieving the success you want?

Is it a lack of money, free time, or opportunities at work? Have you not achieved your goals because of the economy, what your business colleagues have done (or not done), or the lack of motivation among your employees?

Perhaps you place the blame on how you were raised or on your family for not giving you the proper amount and type of support.

If you responded to my question with a laundry list of reasons why you aren’t where you want to be, you’re not alone.

Most people automatically find excuses and blame others when things don’t work out the way they want. This seems to be particularly true in the United States, where many people buy into the myth that we are entitled to success and happiness – that someone else should be giving us what we want.

However, if unlimited success is your goal, looking outside of yourself is a strategic error. The most important lesson you must understand that you are 100 percent responsible for your life – the good and the bad.

The formula I like to use to explain this concept is:

E + R = O 
(Events + Responses = Outcome)

The basic idea is that every outcome you experience in life (whether it's success or failure, wealth or poverty, wellness or illness, intimacy or estrangement, joy or frustration) is the result of how you have responded to an earlier event in your life. 

Likewise, if you want to change the results you get in the future, you must change how you respond to events in your life … starting today.

What Most People Do

When people don’t like the outcomes they are experiencing, most choose to blame the event (E) for their lack of results (O).

In other words, you can blame the economy, the weather, the lack of money, lack of education, racism, gender bias, the current administration in Washington, your wife or husband, your boss's attitude, the lack of support, and so on.

If you're a golfer, you've probably even blamed your clubs or the course you’ve played on – but never yourself. This is what most people do.

It’s true that these factors exist and that they impact you. 

However, if they were the deciding factor in whether someone succeeded or not, nobody would ever succeed.

For every reason it's not possible, there are hundreds of people who have faced the same circumstances and succeeded.

The deciding factor in success is not the external conditions and circumstances. It's how you choose to respond (R).

We think limiting thoughts and engage in self-defeating behaviors. We defend our self-destructive habits (such as drinking and smoking) with indefensible logic.

We ignore useful feedback, fail to continuously educate ourselves and learn new skills, waste time on the trivial aspects of our lives, engage in idle gossip, eat unhealthy food, fail to exercise, spend more than we make, fail to tell the truth, don't ask for what we want, and then wonder why our lives aren't working.

What Successful People Do

Successful people take a different approach to events. They simply change their responses (R) to the events (E) until they get the outcomes (O) they want.

You can change your thinking, change your communication, change the pictures you hold in your head (your images of the world) and you can change your behavior (the things you do). That's all you really have control over anyway.

Unfortunately, most of us are being run by our habits. We get stuck in conditioned responses to our spouses and children, to our work colleagues, to our customers and our clients, to our students, and to the world at large.

You have to gain control of your thoughts, your images, your dreams, daydreams and your behavior. Everything you think, say and do need to become intentional and aligned with your purpose, your values and your goals.

If you don't like your outcomes, change your responses.

The Formula in Action

You don’t have to look far to find examples of how this works: consider the economy.

When the Gulf War broke out, a friend of mine who owns a Lexus dealership in Southern California turned to this formula to guide him through the resulting impact on the economy.

People stopped coming in to buy Lexuses, so he knew that his normal response (R) of running newspaper and radio ads wouldn’t be good enough to keep his business afloat. The outcome (O) he was experiencing was a steady decrease of visitors to his showroom, as well as sales.

So they tried a number of new things. 

Some didn’t work; some did. One of the strategies that worked was driving a fleet of new cars to where the rich people were – the country clubs, the marinas, polo grounds, parties in Beverly Hills and Westlake Village – and inviting them to take a test drive.

Have you ever test-driven a new car and then gotten back into your old car? Suddenly your old car wasn’t good enough – you wanted the new car! The same thing happened for the people who took a Lexus for a spin and many bought or leased a new car.

By changing their response (R) to an unexpected event (E) – the war -- the dealership eventually got the outcome (O) they wanted … increased sales. In fact, they ended up selling more new cars per week than before the war broke out.

If we all experience the same event, the outcome you get will be totally dependent upon your response to the situation.

Carefully choose how you respond to events – how you choose to interpret events, how you choose to think about and talk about what happened, how you choose to act -- If you want to achieve better outcomes.

Remember, you control your destiny … so make it a fantastic one!

About Author: Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul®and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: 

freesuccessstrategies.com

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Letting Go: 5 Truths About Surrendering

by Alex Blackwell - 

At times, life may feel like it is spinning out of control. You feel completely powerless over the circumstances being handed to you. 

During times like these, it may be easier to give up. But you do have another choice – you can choose to let go, surrender control and reclaim the life that belongs just to you.

"Some of us think holding on makes us strong but sometimes it is letting go." –Herman Hesse

Perhaps the greatest contradiction is realizing when you surrender control to the Universe you are in a better position to get what you need to fulfill your life’s purpose. 

Surrendering isn’t about giving up; it’s about letting go. 

Surrendering isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength.

Surrendering allows you to feel less stressed, overwhelmed and anxious. 

It creates mental space to be present in the moment.

Take a moment and consider this question: 

What do you need to surrender today? 

It is a relationship, a business venture or a person you lost in death? Is it a medical prognosis, a painful memory or the idea of having the perfect life? Do you need to surrender a past failure, a thought or stress?

Surrendering control is hard to do because the need for control is rooted in fear. The uneasiness of not having direct control over what happens is frustrating. 

Even when the warning signs are clear, you continue to think if you keep trying harder, if you keep doing everything right; if you can just get one step closer to perfection, then you will have want you want.

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." –Lao Tzu

Unfortunately, the universe doesn’t work like that. Instead, the Universe gives you exactly what you need.  

The sooner you realize pushing back against the inevitable only makes you more anxious; the sooner you can go about the business of living your life according to the plan the Universe has for you.

Letting go has been difficult for me, too. The thought of allowing control to a higher power was terrifying. By letting go, I was giving up – or so I thought. 

Today, I have learned if I’m going to have the life that has been planned for me; I need the Universe to help me find it. Today, I have learned these five truths about surrendering.

These five truths don’t contemplate the absence of self-responsibility; they actually encourage it. 

The five truths will help you understand that it’s your responsibility to follow your personal destiny – no matter how out of control it may feel at times.

5 TRUTHS ABOUT SURRENDERING

1. Pain doesn’t have to define you 

Holding on to the pain only keeps you stuck in a place somewhere in the past. The pain no longer has to define who you are. 

It’s time to let go of pain and welcome confidence, strength and peace into your life. 

2. What you pay attention to grows 

Even though you may not be responsible for everything that happens to you, you are responsible for how you choose to react to what happens to you. 

The expression like attracts like is especially true when it comes to positive and negative emotions. 

If you chose to remain positive, then positive results are likely to occur. Alternatively, if you decide to be negative and critical, you can expect more negative circumstances to happen. 

3. Begin today, right now 

There is no better time to live your heart’s passion than right now. 

When the nudge you feel is beginning to pull you in the direction of your life’s purpose and your inner wisdom is telling you to go; then trust and let go. 

4. Open the floodgates of hope 

When you open the floodgates of hope and refuse to allow fear to defeat our faith, you are better able to surrender your problems, ask for help and then follow your heart’s desire. 

5. Forgiveness is a form of letting go but different 

The purpose of forgiveness is not to let the person who harmed you off the hook, the purpose of forgiveness is to end the grief it has cost you. 

Don’t just let go, forgive and truly surrender the feelings of anger and pain. This may seem difficult, almost impossible, until you attempt to do it.

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