“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning.”
~Lao Tzu
Indecision…confusion…lack of clarity. If these define your current reality, then this post is for you.
A friend of mine had been living in this state for months. He was facing a major life decision, and although he longed for clarity about it, all he got was uncertainty. He tried figuring it out every which way, but nothing seemed to clear the fog.
Letting Everything Go
Then he did what needed to be done – he died to everything. He let everything go.
- His preferences for what he wanted
- His hopes for how things would turn out
- His identities – the kind of person he prided himself on being
- All attachments – to relationship, money, status, appearance, even to life itself.
- All should’s, all expectations
He opened to things being messy, crazy, and completely up for grabs. He was willing to accept the answer, no matter what it was.
From this emptiness, with everything out of the way he was able to truly listen, and undeniable clarity emerged. No longer iffy or doubtful, the answer shone like a beacon and his path opened up without question.
Clinging Is Resistance
He had been entangled in the mind-stuff, trying to determine the answer without having to face his attachments. He described the conflict as one between his head and his heart. In his head, he was busy bargaining and strategizing. There was too much mental noise, too much grasping, to hear the voice of his heart.
What it took was a willingness to drop everything. And I mean everything. To not resist any possibility, to not know anything, to be so incredibly open beyond any imagining. To be willing to say, “Yes!” to whatever appears.
Your Turn
Now, what about you…are you ready? Are you courageous enough to take off all the blinders and hear the truth? Here is how to die to everything:
- Take everything you know, everything that defines you, and throw it into the holy fire.
- Surrender anything you are holding on to – any ideas, attachments, hopes, desires, preferences.
- Open every cell of your being.
- Listen deeply with nothing in the way, no expectations at all about what you will discover.
- Be so devoid of any personal will that you are willing to embrace whatever path shows itself to you.
Gaining clarity about a decision does not mean that your confusion won’t return for a visit. In fact, expect it. The last thing fear wants is the exhilaration of freedom, so it will beckon you. Here is your job: stay grounded in the clarity that you know to be true. Surrender, die to everything, over and over and over.
Truth is fierce business, as you can see. It is not for those who want the easy way out, not for those who want to cling to what is limited and familiar.
But, oh, the fruits of surrender. Laser-like clarity…the deepest intimacy with all things…peace beyond peace…
Where are you stuck or confused? What is masking truth and clarity? I’d love to hear…
