There are many things in life we can’t control, and we accept that, by letting go.
We can’t control the weather or the fact that time marches on. We can’t alter the fact that everything always changes, although many people spend a lot of time and energy trying to keep things the same.
We can’t control other people, but that doesn’t stop some of us from trying tactic after tactic. Pleading, begging, arguing, explaining, deal-making, threatening, and various other techniques can appear to work in the short term, but don’t celebrate too fast thinking you made somebody do something. They gave in to you because ultimately they wanted to, for all kinds of reasons of their own.
It’s been said before, and I’ll say it again: insanity is repeating the same behavior always expecting different results. Insanity can also be trying all kinds of ways to get another person to do what you want.
If it appears they have given in and agreed to your way, you can end up living with the illusion of control. You may have worn them down and worn them out and even made them afraid, but if and when they gave in to you it was their choice, not yours.
Challenges of letting go
Hopefully, my readers are those who are working hard to overcome their own personal challenges: self-worth issues, fear, jealousy, anger, judgment, and all the rest.
I have tried to influence people in that direction for many years. Today I just want to reinforce a message that hasn’t been stated enough – and that is what you are doing to yourself by giving in to the lower baser vibrational energies. You are feeding your own powerlessness. You are feeding your own ineffectiveness. You are hastening your own demise.
Karma is alive and well and working faster and more efficiently than ever before. Some people are self-destructing at an alarming rate and they are going out hating with a vengeance. Plenty of everyday people, maybe even your neighbors, are harboring ill will that is coming back to manifest in their own lives.
Do you get a negative thought, let it take you over, and keep thinking along those negative lines? That is something you need to be aware of and put a stop to. You need to deliberately replace negative thoughts with truthful positive ones on a continual basis. Do this to free your own personal energy.
Conversely, if you have been on a path of enlightenment and awakening and trying to do your best, coming from your heart, and loving whenever possible, you are on an incline and the momentum for keeping you going upward and onward is growing stronger every day. The better it gets, the betters it gets.
I preach and teach personal responsibility.
I’m doing it again.
Are you listening?
People can’t truly control other people
We have no control over other people, places, and things, no matter how much we think we do. Each person’s thoughts and feelings and actions and reactions are theirs alone to decide. Ultimately the only one you have control over is yourself. You are in charge of your actions, reactions, choices, thoughts, and feelings.
If your focus is constantly on what is going on somewhere else, and what others are doing or not doing, you are not paying enough attention to yourself. You deserve your own attention. You are worthy of letting your own thoughts and emotions be front and center in your life. Only from a secure place within yourself can you make the decisions and decide the actions and reactions that are best for you.
Letting go of the illusion of control can be hard if it has become a lifestyle, but it can be done. Changing yourself takes awareness, desire, patience and determination, but it’s really worth it in the end. There is a certain freedom and peace of mind that comes with relinquishing control over the uncontrollable.
Living in the Moment, One Day at a Time
There are certain human beings who are pretty secure. They live for adventure and change and the excitement of not knowing what comes next. Then there are the rest of us. Most people want some assurance that tomorrow will be okay. If they are sick, or out of work, or dealing with some major problem they want to look forward and see some relief up ahead. If they look, and cannot see it, they can become very insecure.
This world is filled with sad, sick, and insecure people who are fearful about what lies ahead, and sad or angry when they look back.
Many major recovery programs stress the importance of living in the moment, one day at a time, practicing mindfulness daily – and the importance of that cannot be overstated. In this moment you will find the strength you need. At this moment you will find the guidance you need. This moment is where the power is.
This moment is where your angels are gathered to hold you up. All faiths bring forth this message in one form or another, but for those who know of the Bible, it is stated this way in God’s Prayer. ‘ Give us this day our daily bread. I heard someone joke one night that the prayer did not include, ‘and make sure I have a few slices left over for tomorrow‘. God doesn’t dwell in tomorrow. He is here now, offering divine guidance. If you can learn to be here now you will find God in your understanding.
If you find your thoughts going to the future or the past, and unhappy or anxious emotions go with your thoughts, try to bring yourself back. Certainly, you need to think and plan ahead for many things in life, but if thoughts of the future stress you out, bring your thoughts back to now. Keep your focus and your faith here.
If this is an unfamiliar practice for you, you may need to have patience with yourself while you learn it. If at first, you find yourself anxiously dwelling in the past or the future, just give yourself a gentle reminder to get back to today.
If it helps, you can repeat a stoic mantra to yourself, like ‘One day at a Time. You can talk to yourself and remind yourself that now is the only moment you can breathe in the peace your need, the strength you need, or the divine guidance you need.
Living in the moment, one day at a time can be a lifeline for some, a comfortable way of life for others, and a pure joy for those who have experienced its benefits.
May you live in trust that if you seek God’s guidance at this moment, you will always be guided in the direction of your greatest good.
May you find that peace.
Many blessings,
Elaine