When your troubles plunge you into agitation, It’s very hard to trust life. Your mind whispers, “You won’t be okay until this is fixed!”
Unfortunately, this approach is upside down. Instead of trying to fix things, we first need to seek the wisdom of our true self.
From this loving place, we gain patience and, sooner or later, the best solutions appear.
Patiently Trust Life
“Love is like the blossoming of a flower. You cannot force it to open.”
Amma, the hugging saint
Imagine that you’ve planted a seed. Each day you water it and check its progress. Eventually a green stem sprouts from the earth, and a pale pink bud slowly emerges. Suddenly, you have an insane urge to pry it open to see it right now in full bloom.
Instead, however, you choose to patiently care for it. Your reward is a fragrant, beautiful flower; and recognition that–from flowers to human experiences–each miracle appears in its own time and its own way.
Trusting life is like waiting for a blossom to appear. In the meantime, you remind yourself that, no matter how scary a situation appears, your positive power and wisdom will resolve it. You practice non-attachment, use your growth tools, and wait.
Trust Life’s Perfect Order
There’s a perfect order to our lives that often isn’t clear until time reveals its elegant solutions. What initially seemed to be my worst disasters yielded some of my greatest blessings; but these gifts appeared in their own time.
- Alcoholism brought me a spiritual path, healthy friends, a happy marriage, and creative productivity.
- Many years of shoulder and back pain taught me to accept what I couldn’t change, to trust positive power, and accept care and comfort from others.
- My husband’s resumption of drinking resulted in my forgiving my father and a new appreciation for my marriage.
While I don’t relish such challenges, I’ve learned that each upsetting event or person will ultimately increase my growth and ability to love. They’ve helped me trust life–no matter what is going on!
Time for Action: Tool 46. Are All Hard Times Totally Bad?
It’s easier to trust life when you believe something better is coming, even though you can’t yet perceive it. When you see ups and downs as opportunities to grow, you can relax and enjoy life.
- Think of a few major life challenges in your past.
- List two or three of them in your journal, leaving space to write under each one.
- Beneath each life challenge, describe the subsequent benefits it brought to you and your loved ones.
- Now consider two problems worrying you. Write them down, along with their possible positive outcomes.
When a person or situation pushes your buttons, it’s often life’s way of helping you face and heal old beliefs that no longer serve you. Especially when you repeatedly receive–and accept–the same poor treatment, it’s a wake-up call. As you choose to work toward inner peace, you’ll experience the exhilarating freedom of trusting life.
This post is taken from Chapter 7 of Gigi’s book, 50 Ways to Worry Less Now (available HERE in paperback, e-book, & audiobook). It’s received rave reviews (4.8 on Amazon) and a national award.
Gigi Langer holds a PhD in Psychological Studies in Education from Stanford University. She is a seasoned author and popular speaker who has helped thousands of people improve their lives at home and work. Gigi hasn’t had a drug or drink for over 30 years, although she does occasionally overindulge in Ghirardelli chocolate and historical novels.
