Surrender to the work you’re meant to do

“Each of us actually believes that things should be the way we want them, instead of being the natural result of all the forces of creation.” Michael A. Singer

When I finished reading ‘The Surrender Experiment’, I was filled with relief and gratitude that someone has already lived his life and provided a guide for me to create mine.

It was a joy to read the book without knowing who the author is and let the spectacular events in his life surprised me at every turn.

The gist of Michael’s surrender experiment is to let go of his preference and serve whatever life put in front of him. From a yogi who just wanted to meditate in the woods, he ended up building a massive meditation retreat center and a public listed company worth billions.

Nothing ever goes as planned in my life

When I left college and started my first corporate job, I never thought I would start a company in an unrelated industry 2 years later.

When I started the business thinking that it would be my life work, I never thought I will get lost and exit from the company in less than 2 years.

When I let go of everything I’ve built and went back to null, I couldn’t have known that the next phase would be entering the creative industry and self-publishing a book in the coming year.

I thought life would be a clear path after I got the book out, and yet I found myself on another blank page figuring out the next chapter.

It was beyond my imagination to map out a life as such.

The light in darkness

I went through brutal internal struggles even though the external challenges didn’t seem as dire.

There were times I was in so much pain that the idea of not living crossed my mind, I woke up in tears not knowing what this life is about, and I begged universe for guidance in utter hopelessness and helplessness.

When I experienced a ‘spiritual awakening’ and turn my life upside down, I entered a vacuum where I had nothing to hold on to except the present moment.

Being stripped of everything external, I learned that love will get me through the toughest moments in life, not money and stuff.

I came to believe that suffering is the work I needed to do because all these pains inspire me to keep writing and bringing light to people on a similar journey.

Acceptance, acceptance and acceptance

At some point, I realized that I simply couldn’t model my life against any curve that people used. It took me years to come to term with myself that I didn’t belong to the startup world where numbers rule.

I accepted that I am not driven by profit, I don’t care about status and title, I am drawn towards the spiritual realm that didn’t make any sense just a few years back.

Instead of striving to become ‘somebody’, I took a different approach to stay still and take conscious action when opportunities arise.

Surrendering becomes a way of life that makes sense to me

I would never be the person I am today had I not met my worst darkness face-to-face.

All the challenges that were supposed to break me helped me to make peace with my own demons, be it fear, shame, guilt or conformity.

I’m still trembling inside to put one foot in front of another without seeing the path, but I trust that the universe is a loving force that brings my unique gift to this world.

“When life’s way becomes your way, all the noise stops, and there is a great peace.” — The Surrender Experiment

In eternal gratitude, I surrender to the plan that universe has for me.


Hi, I am Isabelle, author of ‘The Art of Owning Your Story’, I write about conscious living and personal growth, building a podcast called ‘Own Your Story’. If you enjoy what you read, subscribe to get the latest content in your mailbox! Thank you 🙂

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