Surrender to the struggle.
So often we hear about happiness and joy and how wonderful they are (of course) and struggle and pain and how terrible they are (not the whole truth).
So when I heard “surrender to the struggle” during my meditation, I was somewhat surprised.
I’ve read and written about identifying what pains you wish to endure in order to create a life you desire. And with this post, I add to that notion.
Ask yourself, what struggles do I want to have?
No, this isn’t an invitation to invite more struggle(s) into your life. It is an invitation to receive clarity around what will bring you most joy, as highlighted by the struggle(s).
Joy is defined by the struggle(s) we choose.
Let me paint you a picture from my own life. With the birth of each one of my children, I experienced the struggles of whether (and when) to return to work. At the time, I did not fully understand that I had a choice in my struggles (return to work and put my child in daycare and immerse myself in the struggles of learning to be a working mom or stay at home and immerse myself in the day-to-day struggles of learning how to be a full-time mom). Each experience had it’s struggles that highlighted the joys.
So, what struggles do you want to have?
There is no right or wrong answer. And I am fully aware that each choice is multi-faceted and layered. Yet this awareness has been pretty big for me, personally, because in knowing I have a choice, I give myself permission to have a choice. A choice in what struggles I endure in order to give myself the opportunity of feeling the most joy.