The surprising truth that forcing it makes it harder

goodness know we don't need anything to get harder

I was searching for the right post from my archives (you can find them all here) because I’m away at a family reunion this week so my schedule doesn’t permit writing. I had the brainstorm to look back to what I wrote this week two years ago. It was exactly the message I needed to hear so I thought it might be a good reminder to you too because we tend to be on the same wavelength. For today’s post I have changed it just a teensy bit.

This essay is about NOT forcing it but I admit I was forcing it on this hike. My legs were tired right out of the parking lot! It felt like 6km up and then 6 more km up in order to get to the truck.

This is your friendly, public service reminder that you can’t force it.

Dearest, darling, wonderful you. Forcing the issue doesn’t seem to work.

What issue?

All of them.

Love, enlightenment, fixing the world, creativity, health, a damn good party.

All of life’s best stuff cannot be forced. It seems it must be planned for (could be on paper, could be in your heart), worked toward, then surrendered to & allowed.

All of life’s hardest stuff cannot be forced. It seems it must be accepted (and if you live in my house, researched the hell out of), then surrendered to & allowed.

Our opinion, getting them to change their mind, making sure they toe the line. Cannot force.

The health prognosis, the intensity of the world, falling asleep. Cannot force.

The next time we feel the need to control the outcome, the worry about how it will turn out, the need to respond in a certain way that didn’t work the other hundred times we did it, we could do this instead…

Remind ourself there are things we probably don’t know about the situation.

Remind ourself the other person may be doing the best they can at the moment.

or

Remind ourself there may be a power much-greater-than-us that has our best life at its heart and it may be working behind the scenes for an outcome we currently cannot imagine. There is no way of knowing for sure.

But what we do know is forcing the issue rarely works and it affects our well-being.

You are a heart-centered, beautiful soul. Allow for the expansion. Surrender, even just a little. Go for the gold of feeling as best you can right this moment. Ask God, or your smartest self, to show you what you need.

Then wait. Don’t force it.

If you find all your roads and paths blocked, He will show you a secret way that no one knows.

-Rumi

Don’t mistakenly think if you don’t push for it it means you are giving up or being weak, I have found the opposite to be true.

Whatever it is that you’re thinking about, or working on, know the path will unfold, but when it does you will be called to walk that path so buckle up! Take action now to be ready - gain the skills, have the conversation, save the money, find the enrolment form…put in the effort, then soften and allow it to evolve.

Along the way remind yourself you’re awesome. I think you are!

xoxo Donna

P.S. I’m taking a poll in the comments to see what’s your favorite color? My fav is a deep burgundy red, or a vibrant pink.