How to give up control to get what you desire

Is there something going on in your life that feels out of your control? Maybe you desire change but feel overwhelmed or confused when trying to come up with a plan of action. Whether you want to gain control of your finances or health, find a significant other or start a new career, you may have absolutely no idea where to start. That’s where surrender comes in.

Several months ago, I heard of a simple but effective surrender technique called the “God Box.” It’s so quick and easy you can do it today. All you have to do is write down any worries, issues or desires you have on a piece of paper. I like to use a Post-it note sized paper for each issue/desire. Then you put the pieces of paper in a small box and give control of whatever you wrote over to a higher power. When you find yourself coming back to a state of worry about one of the items you wrote down, remind yourself that what’s in your God Box (or Higher Self box, or whatever else you would like to call it) is no longer your concern. A higher power will work it out in time.

You don’t have to be religious or believe in God for the God Box technique to work either. Maybe, like me, you prefer to think of your higher power as the Universe or as your higher Self that is connected to all things. Your beliefs are not what matter; what matters is trusting that things will work out when you stop obsessing over the outcome.

You can have fun with this. Decorate your higher self box any way you like. Use pretty paper if that helps, or add pictures. I used a satin-lined jewelry box that was already pretty and added crystals to it.

It may sound too good to be true, but since creating my own box this summer, I have found a group of friends I can be myself around, paid off thousands of dollars of debt and started earning a full time income—all things I put inside the box. Did I take action to make these things happen? Absolutely. I updated my resume and applied and interviewed for jobs. I started being social on weekends instead of staying home and made more effort to ask friends to get together. I used earnings from any additional work outside of my day job to pay down my debts.

The God Box does not mean you sit around and do nothing; you must take action steps and opportunities when they present themselves. The difference is now that you have surrendered, or given up control, you are no longer constantly worried about those things you want to change. As bold and brave Newt Scamander said in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, “My philosophy is that worrying means you suffer twice.” Release any worry about that which you can’t control and you will find that soon you’ll start manifesting amazing things into your life.