Tis the season to embrace uncertainty and release control.

The nice thing about being an executive coach is that I get to go to a meditation wellness retreat in a 5-star resort and declare it's for work! (I think my hubby is on to me though).

Last month, I participated in a Chopra health retreat in Carefree, Arizona. My days were filled with meditation, yoga, reflection, hot/cold therapy, massages, time in nature and connection. It was blissful. (we were also detoxing, but I'll spare you those gory details!)

If you're familiar with Deepak Chopra's spiritual work, you'll know that he shares 7 Spiritual Laws of Success. (A modern version of Napolean Hill's, Think and Grow Rich)

The Law of:

1. Full Potentiality - take the time to be silent, to just BE. Meditate each day.

2. Giving - bring people you encounter a gift: a compliment or flower.

3. Karma - every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind. Bring happiness and success to others. 

4. Least Effort - Accept people, situations, and events as they occur. Take responsibility for your situation and for all events seen as problems. Relinquish the need to defend your point of view.

5. Intention & Desire - inherent in every intention/desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment. Trust that when things don’t seem to go your way, there is a reason.

6. Detachment - allowing yourself and others to be who they are, do not force solutions.

7. Dharma - seeking your highest self, sharing your unique talents, serving others.

This may sound like a lot to digest in December when your 'to do' list is already packed with commitments, but here's my invitation. 

Pick one law from above, put it into practice this holiday season and notice:

What impact does it have on you and others?

Personally, I’m focusing on The Law of Detachment. Mostly, because I have a natural pull towards working and 'efforting' (not sure that this is a word, but I'm going with it) my way to solutions, instead of allowing them to spontaneously emerge.

Doesn't that sound scary... (solutions spontaneously emerge!).

What do you mean Mr. Chopra, do you want me to sit back and simply let sh*t hit the fan?

Well...maybe!

When we relinquish our 'perceived' control and hold things a little more lightly, we broaden our view, connect with something greater than our limited thinking, have greater empathy for us and others and realize that we actually never had control to begin with. We just thought we did.  

The more we release our grip on life, the more is actually accessible for us to experience.

This doesn't mean we spend our entire day meditating.

It means that our actions are guided with ease, in the moment, from our being.

(If you’re rolling your eyes right now...stick with me)

Can you predict with 100% certainty what will happen in the next week, next hour, next 5 minutes? 

You can't. 

The unexpected happens all of the time.

Our attempt at controlling the outcome, how life unfolds, how people treat us or our behaviour is often done so in vain. 

This is how it shows up for me.

I try to control. Something unexpected happens. I try to control more. Something else unexpected happens. I tighten my control grip even more. Unexpected things continue to happen and I blame myself as if I did something wrong.

In the past, it rarely occurred to me to loosen my grip.

Not give up, but rather surrender. 

Not do nothing, but rather sit quietly, peacefully and allow whatever occurs to me to bubble up.

Not resist, but rather witness the entirety of life unfolding.

So I'll continue to loosen my grip.

To access my inner knowing more, and my controlling mind less. 

And to learn the difference between the two.

I’ll let you know how it goes!