The Power of Surrender.
Surrender was something I was never good at in life.
So of course this has been a big thing for me to learn in opening up Bliss Sanctuary For Women and growing it so much in the now 6 years we’ve been open.
One thing I didn’t bank on however was attracting Western staff who may also be battling this, as a direct mirror to my own experiences.
Bali does that to people who live here.
It’s nothing like being on holiday when you live here full time.
And creating a beautiful Blissful environment for our guests means we work hard … well actually it’s only hard when we don’t surrender.
Those who don’t surrender don’t last.
They find all of those small things difficult, a struggle.
Others who have surrendered breeze through.
The struggle is gone.
The surrender creates the experience of joy amongst often mundane things.
Where one finds the commute to work in the Bali traffic harrowing.
Another cranks the tunes and absolutely loves bonding with our gorgeous driver and has the biggest smile on her face when she gets home filled with joy and connection.
Another learns to ride a scooter and relishes the freedom enjoying the warm air and buzzing through the streets with a big sun kissed smile.
Having said that I’m the biggest traffic hater and complete wuss on riding a motorbike lol, which has made things a little difficult in terms of my own personal freedoms. Instead my surrender has been through making peace regarding working from home and not needing to be out and about as a social butterfly which I used to be but just don’t need anymore. It has also most importantly helped me create a team of amazing people to look after the sanctuaries and empower them to run things on their own without me checking up on them constantly.
So this was a different type of surrender, understanding my limitations and shifting to turn these into a positive. And thanks to this I have a super amazing loyal, honest, happy, hard working trustworthy team.
The gorgeous Patma now runs our Bali operations and talk about seeing someone grow! WOW! She amazes me every day.
There were times of struggle through growing pains and they weren’t easy but I am so proud of her that she surrendered to these. She trusted me to help guide her which I am truly thankful for and feel so humbled by. And she grew and grew and grew to now become the big kahuna of our Bali operations. In 2 short years!
Shar who has been with me for over 3 years and has now shifted to behind the scenes accounts and helping out in the sanctuaries where needed, isn’t a struggler. She has the most amazing attitude and looks for the good. Things got tough for her after a bike accident and a broken elbow but she keeps soldiering on and looks for the good everyday and appreciates the things others can simply take for granted. She has created the life she loves and takes the hard work on the chin providing a space of surrender with everything she does.
When we really surrender to any experience it opens up a world of possibility and amazement almost like a technicolour dreamcoat of experiential bliss. Hard work becomes exhilarating. Expectation dissipates and outcomes exceed any expectation we could have ever had in the first place.
Once we surrender our perspective widens and we can see more.
Once we surrender we let go of the need to control things which creates freedom to just be.
Once we surrender we let go of the emotional attachment of ‘needing’ things to be a certain way and only in this can we grow.
So how do we surrender?
Well I am still learning this especially in my personal life lol. But from what I’ve learnt so far it is a decision. A shift of thinking and even speaking out loud to the universe and asking for help. Then be open to what comes in.
Everyone who has ever come to work for Bliss have asked for that in their life.
But those of us who stay for the long haul are the ones who have shifted the paradigm of exactly what that needs to look like and accepted what is. That’s what fills our hearts and souls and really helps us grow. That is the magic.
I can’t wait to practice this more in every aspect of my life to create more room and joy in my life and a perspective that dazzles me everyday.