There are very few people out there who have learned to let go and embrace the now. Most people may not even understand what that means.
In general, if you ask someone how their workday went, you need to brace yourself for a litany complaints. Maybe their back is hurting. Maybe they had some issues with their supervisor. Maybe they’re not getting along with their colleagues.
It’s actually easy to sympathize with these people because we have all been through the same or something similar. It’s rare to find a job where you love what you do and also love the people around you. There are going to be drawbacks in every position.
Choosing How You Respond
Many experts say that it’s possible to react to work events in a different way. If your coworker is annoying you, you don’t have to get annoyed. You can choose to take a deep breath and ignore their comment. Or you can respond to it graciously.
You might have to grit your teeth in order to do this, at least at first. However, after a while, it becomes second nature. You start doing it automatically. And the more you do it, the more you’ll find that your situation at work improves.
Your colleagues might get bored of needling you and turn away to their tasks. Or maybe you’ll find a different position in which the working conditions are better.
Letting Go or Surrendering
If you want to respond to an event in a positive way, you have to learn to let go or surrender. What exactly does this mean and is it possible to do it consciously? Isn’t letting go just something that happens? Is it possible to force it?
The answer is yes and no. You can’t force the moment of surrender. You’ve probably had it. Everyone has had it at some point in their lives. You work really hard at something, give up and then have an “aha!” moment when everything falls together.
Or you might just have a moment when you feel like your body and mind suddenly relax and after a little while, you find yourself solving the problem that was bothering you. Either way, surrender seems like something that just happens.
However, you can also make it happen. Since relaxation is an important component of surrender, doing something that relaxes you can help you to surrender. This might be yoga, meditation or just reading a book. Some people find that doing something hectic, like running, also helps to tire them out and use up their physical energy so that they can finally relax.
Pick a method that works for you. Or use a variety of methods that you can turn to throughout the day.
