My life coach recommended The Surrender Experiment to me. I have been reading the book ever so slowly.
My primary takeaway from the book so far is to accept life as it happens without the influence of my own personal preferences. The following quote captures the core of the advice:
From now on if life was unfolding in a certain way, and the only reason I was resisting it was because of personal preference, I would let go of my preference and let life be in charge.
For a couple of days, it seemed obvious what I had to do. But slowly it started to be confusing. If on a Sunday I feel like eating at a fancy restaurant, is that my own personal preference, or is that life offering me a fancy meal (in the form of a spontaneous thought)? I didn’t have an answer.
Then it occurred to me. Accepting life means living spontaneously; pausing to question every single choice is anything but.
If always acting by one’s personal preferences is the south pole of the earth, purposely acting against one’s preferences is the north pole. The direction may be different, but they are qualitatively the same; you are still on the same plane; you are still anchored to the earth. What we really need is to rise above the earth. Rather than basing your actions on your preferences, you should ignore the preferences.
Respond to the situation that life presents. If the response aligns with your preferences, so be it. If the response is against your preferences, so be it.
