Allow most things to be the way they are.
Some things in life are worth changing. Most things are not.
Let that sink in for a moment. Then consider this:
“If you want to control the animals, give them a larger pasture.”
That’s a quote Angel and I heard at a meditation retreat several years ago in a group discussion focused on the power of changing your attitude about things you can’t change or don’t need to change.
I see “the animals” and their “larger pasture” as a form of letting go and allowing things to be the way they are. Instead of trying to tightly control something, you’re loosening up, giving it more space — a larger pasture. The animals will be happier; they will roam around and do what they naturally do. And your needs will be met too; you will have more space to be at peace with the way the animals are.
This same philosophy holds true for many aspects of life — stepping back and allowing certain things to happen means these things will take care of themselves, and your needs will also be met. You will have less stress (and less to do), and more time and energy to work on the things that truly matter, and the things you actually can control — like your attitude about everything.
This form of letting go is not giving up. It’s about surrendering any obsessive attachment to particular people, outcomes and situations. It means showing up every day in your life with the intention to be your best self, and to do the best you know how, without expecting life to go a certain way.
The energy of someone aspiring to create something wonderful, teamed with this kind of surrender, is far more powerful and rewarding than someone determined to create outcomes with a desperate “must-have” mentality. Surrender brings inner peace and calmness, and lest we forget that our outer lives are a reflection of our inner state of being.
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