We may not have control over everything that happens in our lives, but we can learn about letting go of our reactions to challenges that come up for us. When we experience situations where things don’t happen to our liking, how can we maneuver our lives so we at least maintain peace of mind and peace of heart? What is the important thing to control? Is it to control the physical realities of our existence, or is it to learn how to control our reaction to things that might not be of our choosing? We do our best when we find a balance between both.
Suffering Happens
When we become incapacitated in any way through illness, accident or the aging process, we may lose some abilities that we have taken for granted in the past. What can we do to avoid feeling upset and depressed about the situation or our suffering? One thing we can do is to actually practice ‘letting go’ ahead of time, before such situations hit us. Practice with the small stuff so when the big issues come up, we already have an ability to let go of our attachments.
Are you a perfectionist? Many of us constantly strive for perfection, but in general, nothing always works out exactly the way we want it to. We can practice letting go of the need for everything to be perfect. In this way, we can learn to let go of the inclination to control our lives in every way. It is quite a process as we learn and grow with these concepts.
Most of us prefer to be with people who are generally content and happy with their lives. We are more attracted to people who aren’t always complaining about what they don’t like, but who are cultivating acceptance and appreciation for life, rather than resisting it. The idea of ‘going with the flow’ can be very helpful. Are we able to accept the way things are or do we resist them mightily? ‘Going with the flow’ is not about accepting things that are unacceptable or accepting abuse without putting up a fight. In those cases, we need to take necessary action to mitigate the issues. When we come to an understanding that our attitude actually affects how things turn out, we are more likely to stay positive and focus on our blessings. Most importantly, we get to choose how we live each day.
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