Serendipity – the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. Let me explain more…

I posted a photo of some gorgeous yellow lilies I had taken a photo of at Farro Fresh (one of my happy places), on Instagram late Saturday afternoon with my ‘Word for the day’ – ‘Happiness’: on Sunday morning I sat in church and listened to the Pastor speak on….’Happiness’!

How serendipitous 🙂

I can’t give you the whole message but I will share a couple of thoughts that I took away from the morning. It seems only right after the chance occurrence 🙂

“You can’t reach forward if you don’t let go of the past” – talk about hit you hard straight up!

Now letting go can be difficult. Letting go of people, ideas, expectations, desires; letting go of bad habits, false beliefs and unhealthy relationships… the list goes on. Every day, every moment presents an opportunity to create ourselves anew, to shrug off the baggage of the past, open ourselves up to the possibility of the moment and take action to create an incredible future.

Although we can understand this intellectually, knowing it and living it are two very different things. I have and do struggle with this however my self-awareness of this helps me when I get really ‘cranky’!

Here is my Top Ten Action list for letting go to get you going:

1. Pray. Find stillness, breathe. Praying is action. Our mind is much harder to still than our body. Our lives are busy and fast paced, filled with external noise and distractions. Clarity comes from quiet. Praying, even in small amounts, will make room for the next 9 steps.

2. Understand. Take time to reflect on your own history as a third-party looking in without judgment: simply observe. Understand that you are not your past. Understand that the situations and patterns and people in your life created your experiences, they didn’t create you. Knowing and understanding your past and some of your patterns will help you to recognize why you hold on and repeat self-destructive behaviours. Understanding creates awareness; awareness helps you break the cycle.

3. Accept. Accept your history and the people who have been a part of your history; accept your circumstances and remember that none of these define you. Acceptance is the first step to letting go and setting yourself free. Carrying bitterness, anger or animosity burdens no one but you.

4. Empty your cup. Consciously and actively work at letting go of your story; your judgments and ideals, the material things, all your stuff. They have no real value. They do not make you stronger, healthier or more powerful, and belief in them is a delusion. Pour out your expectations of how, who, where and what you should be as they, too, are part of a story that holds you back from simply being. Once you let go of this story and empty your cup, your life purpose will open up and flow.

5. Align. Take a moment (or many moments: you’re worth the time) to write down the following:

i. Your core beliefs/values

ii. Your Life Goals

iii. The actions that you are taking to pursue those goals.

Now take an honest look at your core beliefs/values and determine whether or not they align with your goals and actions. If not, ask yourself: is it time to create new core beliefs, set new goals OR take new action? What actions must you take to align your actions with your beliefs in order to attain your goals. Write down 3 actions that you will take this week to get yourself moving.

6. Be flexible.  Set Goals and work toward them but if you are flexible — that is, willing to let go of the end result — aligning your goals and true purpose with the greater good is righteous action. Be flexible; allow the path to unfold as it will, opening up to opportunities. Flex and flow with the current of life.

7. Contribute. When you find yourself lamenting about your past or angry about your present or brooding about your future, find a way to making someone’s day better. Offering a smile to someone as you pass, opening a door, baking a cake for your neighbour: these simple actions can have lasting impact and help you to put your situation into perspective. Contributing to the well-being of others is the best way to align with your true self.

8. Believe in yourself. Believe in your purpose. Believe that the universe is unfolding as it should and that you have a divine role to play. Believe that holding on does nothing in fact but hold you back from that purpose.

9. Love the process. Have fun. Be playful, cheerful and positive. Love yourself, love others and love this life. It is a gift to unwrap each and every day.

10. Be grateful. Be true. Once you have taken all of these actions, just be.

Your current situation is not your permanent destination so here’s to letting go of the past and embracing the future.

Happy ‘happiness’ xx