2022 for me, was a year of Surrender.
My entire family brought in the Year 2022 with COVID, to start. And a lot of things were changing. My kids were in the throes of adolescence, my business took some crazy turns, and our finances were strained due to unforeseen work on the house, which led to changes in our yearly travel plans.
My kids.
Like most parents I spent the first decade of their lives controlling what they watched, ate, wore, and did. Laying down a healthy foundation takes work; but micromanaging is in my Comfort zone, so I excelled.
Enter teenage years. Any attempt at control is met with rebellion. And rightly so; it is a time for them to question who they are, apart and separate from us, the parents. Try telling that to my brain.
The more I tried to Control, the more push back I got. And so, I did the work to re-define my role and identify where I needed (and they needed) for me to let go. Surrender.
Similarly, forcing things to work out the way I planned them with our finances and the work on the house and the planned vacation, caused a lot of unnecessary frustration and it really kept me from seeing the “unwanted circumstances” as a gift.
Once I softened and Surrendered; the ‘bright side’ emerged with ease.
Surrender gave me room to allow my relationship with my kids to EVOLVE;
Surrender gave me the opportunity to be creative and resourceful with our finances; which in the end, brought in more money then I could have planned;
Surrender gave me the gift of time with my parents who stayed with us for a month (the month I had planned to be away on Vacation).
I have decided to continue on this path of Surrender and I’ve made it my word for 2023, because I recognize that there are still areas that I need to practice the art of Letting Go. As I plan (because I’m still a planner), I’ll remember to leave room for Magic, which I know now, can only come when we SURRENDER.
Journal Prompts for you:
- List all the areas in your life where you have been holding on to Control, resisting change, trying hard and/or forcing.
- Where in your life can you Surrender/Let go?
- What is your word for 2023?
As always, Happy Journaling!
Your Virtual Life Coach,
Sandra