#surrender

#surrender

An old definition of the word fate is "the will of the gods." We might say that it is a fitting metaphor, as it suggests that fate comes from a source much larger than ourselves. Its immensity will stretch way beyond what is in our control. We can ask: How can we create a life that reflects our dreams and what we hold to be important, when so much lies outside our sphere of influence?

On the second day of a workshop I'm teaching, called The Art of Letting Go, I've planned a discussion of the yogic practice of releasing our tendency to over-control situations. My intention is that people will recognize how much pain they create when they try to control every little thing in their lives-and that they learn how to let go.

When Sam, the founder of a fast-growing tech company, came to see me, he was exhausted. For over a dozen years, he had poured everything into his startup, building it up to hundreds of employees and revenues nearing a hundred million. But as market shifts and new technologies gave rise to fierce competitors, growth had stalled... and so had Sam. In our sessions, Sam vacillated between two poles. At times, he would slump in his chair, shoulders collapsed, voice flat: "I'm thinking of just quitting."