Let Go of Control

At one point, I asked myself if I could ever become a patient person.

Was I simply born impatient? Would patience come naturally as I got older? Or was there actually something I could do to become more patient?

One of the greatest insights I gained from one of my spiritual mentors was that patience is deeply connected to letting go of control.

Life is like being on a sailboat.

You cannot control the water. You cannot control the wind. You cannot control the weather.

What You can control is Your boat and how You navigate through the storm, the stillness, or whatever conditions Life gives You.

Think about something as simple as being stuck in traffic. You cannot make the cars disappear or force traffic to move faster.

So what are You going to do with Your energy?

You can sit there annoyed, complain about everyone around You, and spend Your energy fighting a situation You cannot change.

Or You can turn on fun music, think about what You are grateful for, look around, and maybe notice something You would normally drive right past.

The traffic doesn’t change.

Your experience does.

I started seeing bigger situations in my Life the same way.

One example is building Happiness Is Your Decision. When the wind is blowing in the right direction, I set my sails and move.

Another area suddenly needs my attention. Circumstances change. The wind stops blowing in the direction I want to go. My first instinct used to be to push harder. Moving forward doesn’t always mean having to do something.

Sometimes You simply lower the sails and wait until the storm passes so You don’t get off course.

Use Your energy where Life currently allows it to flow. And when the wind changes again, You raise the sails and continue Your journey.

You don’t fight the ocean. You navigate through it.

That is what letting go of control means.

I became more patient when I stopped expecting Life to move according to my timeline.

Practice recognizing the difference between what You can influence and what You cannot - and stop wasting Your energy fighting Life.

You are still the captain of Your boat.

Choose Your direction. Adjust Your sails. Navigate what is in front of You.

And let the wind be the wind.

Happiness Is Your Decision ☀️