On my 30th birthday, my husband gifted me Eckhart Tolle’s book, A New Earth – Awakening to Your Life Purpose. This book joined the select list of books that ‘changed my life’. It is not a book you can skim through, with so many complex ideas and concepts that delve deep into the human psyche.
One particular sentence did not make any sense to me when I first read it. Tolle says that we should allow life to pass through us and not be rigid like a brick wall. Now after several failed attempts at trying to orchestrate the events in my life and force a desirable outcome, I finally get what allowing is.
A pattern emerged over the past few months. I would apply for jobs, go for interviews and then wait impatiently to hear from the HR. I would check e-mail three times a day and when nothing showed up I’d get frustrated and antsy. Every time this happened my levels of desperation rose and I would plunge into self-pity mode. Like most things in life, one gets fed up of one pattern and then tries something different. I didn’t like the way I was dealing with rejection and responses that never came.
Years ago I remember applying for jobs and not even getting a single interview. It was downright depressing. I would quit after trying for a month. Then again after a few months the same circus would unfold. After a point I decided that I should simply keep applying and not care about the outcome. I also decided not to quit when nothing showed up. My perseverance and change in attitude paid off and I did land a job, although it was short-lived.
Allowing rather than forcing things to happen seems like a passive way of going about your life, but that is far from the truth. It does not imply that you wait for things to drop right into your lap. It just means that you don’t push too hard and chase outcomes. Instead you patiently wait for things to unfold. Do the work involved and see what shows up.
Allowing is a graceful way of receiving the bounty of the Universe. Much like a river that naturally flows into a valley, allowing is being receptive and open to the flow of the cosmos. A deep peace accompanies this state which involves knowing that the Universe delivers at its own pace. You cannot ask for speed delivery or priority mail. You can’t tame a gushing river nor can speed up a slow-moving glacier. Each has its purpose and rhythm.
It also helps to affirm daily that you are open to receive your highest good through the Universe. If you can sit quietly for a few minutes each day, breathe deeply and be receptive, you will be more in tune with this energy. Small upsets do not throw you off track. You stay centered. If one opportunity is lost, you allow another to enter your life.
Sometimes allowing also helps you fine tune your senses to the outcome that best suits your needs. If you squeeze yourself to fit into something that is not meant for you it won’t be long before you burst at the seams. You may also miss something that is better suited to your needs. Allowing is a state of alert receptiveness. It is gentle, flowing and peaceful.
I for one flit in and out of that state and long for the day when I will be firmly planted, nay cemented in that wonderful state where life flows and living becomes effortless. So stop fighting life and simply allow. Then watch the magic unfold.
Damayanti Chandrasekhar loves yoga, baking and the Tao. She has a Masters degree in journalism and her other interests include reading, travelling and playing agony aunt via her blog www.punctuatelife.co