Have you ever felt tired of ‘doing’? The rushing, the striving, the setting of goals and making them happen. The continual push towards a new bar–that you keep on raising higher. Me too.
My Surrender Experiment
Last year, inspired by other women I know and Michael Singer’s book The Surrender Experiment, I decided to say ‘yes’ to surrender.
I would spend six monthsallowing.
Don’t get me wrong, I still took action–but I let go of the results. I invested time in creating something, with this as my mantra: This or something better. For the highest good. If it didn’t turn out the way I had hoped, I repeated it: “This or something better. For the highest good.”
I opened myself up to requests or asks that I might otherwise have said ‘no’ to.
I decided to look at old annoyances in a new way, allowing something to be the way it was, instead of trying to make it the way I thought it should be.
I actively gave my planning over to my Higher Self, asking not what I wanted, but where Life wanted me to go next.
And it. was. beautiful.
What Happened
Here’s what happened:
1. When I asked my Higher Self what steps to take in creating my next steps for my business, I got “Give a workshop at the yoga studio, for their staff.” Huh? It didn’t make any sense. I did it, anyway. A free one. And at the end, when nothing much happened–no one taking me up on my offer of how to work with me further, I simply said “This or something better. For the highest good.”
Weeks passed, and then the HR rep for the studio got in touch with me. “Can you do a training for our staff? One for all of them, and then one for our leaders?” It turned into a months-long gig.2. Said ‘yes’ to the suggestion from a loved one that I apply to have my book assessed by the writer-in-residence at the Vancouver library–an award-winning published author with considerable street cred. I did it, despite the nerves. She disliked nearly everything about my book. And, by being honest, helped me make it better.
3. Agreed to go sailing despite the stormy, scary experience it was the last time–and made it through the roughest conditions the people I went with had ever sailed in. We went on to have a breezy trip, filled with small islands, sunshiny days, and jumping off the boat into clear, blue ocean. I can’t wait for our next trip. And, even better, I know I can handle the rough stuff.
At the end of those six months, I had my first 22K month.
How do I Talk to My Higher Self?
I have a hunch some of you might be wondering “How do I talk to my Higher Self?” There are lots of ways. This is what I have done.
1. Get two different colored pens. One is for your questioney, Small Self. The other is for your Higher Self.
2. Write down your questions from your Small Self in the pen color you chose for that part of you.
3. Set your intention that you will not question, edit, or try to figure out the response that comes from your Higher Self. That you will allow it to flow, even if it doesn’t seem to make any sense.
4. Read your first question, close your eyes, and wait for the answer. Write it down right away–remember, no editing or trying to make sense of it yet.
5. Do the same thing for the next question, and the one after that.
6. Once you’re done, sit back and read what you wrote as answers. Then, allow yourself to make sense of it. Answer this inquiry: “What do I take from this?”
Have fun,
With love, and light ahead,
Lindsey
