The Surrender Mindset

I always find it fascinating when things align. It tends to happen when I surrender and loosen my grip on the “reins of life” and ease up on the gas pedal.

I was born into a family of warriors. We make sh*+ happen. We push and pull until we get the outcome we want. That way of being has worked for me all my life.... until this point in my life. Now in my mid-40’s, I'm searching for something else. I want to live more in flow with life, to surrender a bit more, and to witness what the Universe has in store for me. It's funny how the Universe shows up for you when you really want something...

It all started in August of last year, when we received a random message from a women’s organization in Orange County, California. They asked if we would be interested in participating in an upcoming fashion show in March 2023. Normally I'd let the fearful questions begin to rise - what would the cost be to ship everything to California? How many people from my team will I need to take? And the doubt spiral would get bigger - what if no one likes my designs? What if nothing sells? How will we pay for all the costs? My brain would start screaming FEAR, FEAR, FEAR.

And from that spiral, the answer would usually be no. But something different happened inside of me this time. I allowed myself to push past the fear and the doubt to take a leap towards surrender.

I was already planning to visit LA in October for my usual fabric sourcing trip. So why not plan a quick meeting with this organization just to see what would happen. Well to make a long story short, I met these amazing women and I couldn't say no! It was like the Universe gave me every reason to say YES, so that’s what I did!

There's something exciting about surrendering to new things, choosing a different path, and getting yourself out of the old negative patterns and into a fresh flow of ease. It was liberating for me. I perceived the alignment of these events to be a reminder to surrender a little more. It may sound easy to surrender, but sometimes it can be the hardest thing and has been a challenge in my life.

It's hard because once I chose to surrender, it was like more doubt and more fear filled my mind. Just because I made the choice to surrender the fearful thoughts didn't just disappear. I realized it takes work and practice, every time I have a choice to make, every time a doubtful thought pops into my mind. We have the power to make this choice. We have an opportunity everyday to change our mindset, to choose a different path, to stretch beyond our limitations, and be courageous.

That's been my current focus and every moment going forward.  To be courageous and to live with this new mindset of surrender . . .

- Allison