What Does It Mean To Surrender?
- Mar 23, 2023
- 3 min read
Written by: Richard Hilton, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The dictionary definition of surrender: from the Cambridge Dictionary first, “to stop fighting and admit defeat” and “If you surrender to an experience or emotion, you stop trying to prevent or control it”
There can be several meanings to surrendering depending on the context of the situation in military terms, it can mean surrendering of a particular battle as there are overwhelming odds against you or that the war is lost and the best option for the civilian population is to surrender and hand over to the victorious army.
You may have some form of financial instrument that has reached maturity, that will get surrendered and you’ll get paid in some way.
Or you can have internal conflict and war inside yourself. I am sure that you have heard of the Cherokee story, of the boy asking his grandad about the fight going on inside him and his grandad telling him it depends on which wolf he feeds. He has to surrender to finding out which one will serve him the best.
People talk about surrendering to the universe, creator, etc; when the universe talks, you listen to what it has to say.
What are the benefits of “surrendering to the universe”?
You can let go of your need to control every aspect of your life and trust that things will work out as the universe has a plan for you. You may have that plan written down or in your head and notice over a period of time that these things come to you but not exactly as you wished them to. So, be prepared to have an open mind as to what comes up, but don’t be so open your brain falls out.
When surrendering it can allow you to have inner peace as you release the stress and anxiety that come from worrying about things you can’t control. This can lead to a better sense of peace and calm.
New opportunities may arise or you could look at things in a new way and take advantage of whatever that is. People get caught up in the “How” of doing that thing they always wanted to instead of going ahead and doing it.
Intuition and listening to your intuition may help you to take the inspired action of starting something you’ve wanted to do which might seem to be too far away. This can lead to the goals that you have already written down.
A deeper connection to yourself and how do you find a deeper connection. There are such paths as being mindful, meditating or having a 10 – 20 min nap in the day. Asking your subconscious to work on that problem for you can also be done when going to bed. Ideas that you hadn’t thought about previously may come to mind. These processes could help you to find out what is right for you as we have sometimes been carrying certain beliefs from childhood. Such as “You aren’t worthy enough” or “I am no good at drawing, painting, etc.” it can allow those beliefs to be broken down and change to “I am good at art,” “I am worthy enough of becoming XY and Z”.
Being grateful for what you have, the more present you become the more you notice your surroundings and appreciate the smaller things. You can pause for a moment and look at the plants coming into the bud or enjoy that fresh cup of coffee in the morning. It takes away from what you are lacking to what you have in the present and that may just be enough.
Will surrendering to the universe help you to manifest your dreams? This may help you to manifest your dream/s faster, but there is an African saying "Pray, and move your feet?” Meaning with all the will in the world manifesting can’t happen unless you actually do something about it.
What wolf will you feed? The one that has always gotten you the same results or the one that is a little scary, that may lead to you living a different life.
Take care!
Richard Hilton, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Richard is a former member of the British Army. Upon leaving the military he studied extensively in self-defense, Conflict Management. Due to going through a difficult period on leaving, he realised that he needed to make major changes in the direction of his life He then began to study NLP and Hypnosis. He is now helping veterans and first responders with the difficulties and challenges that they are facing on a daily basis. He has also self-published his first book "Whispers over Windermere"
