“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

Reinhold Niebuhr

Richard and Susan Ledford (aka my parents) discuss SURRENDER with Corry! They have been married for almost 45 years. My mom is a teacher and a hula dancer and my dad is a retired forklift operator. My dad loves riding his Harley and is living his best life the last 3 years after conquering a 60 year battle with alcoholism. They are known as Grammy and Pappy to their 9 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. They have a wonderful marriage, but have survived a lot to get here. They have been the perfect parents for me, fueling me to be doing exactly what we are doing today – inspiring others to have hope and spread hope to all. 

Would you like more peace, joy, and happiness in your life? If you do, you can create more of it through surrender, acceptance and by simply letting things go. Stress, on the other hand, will rob or dilute our ability to enjoy life. Where does stress come from? The main cause of stress is resistance to that which is out of our hands. You may be able to recognize resistance on a vast scale and in a variety of areas. Resistance appears in situations as simple as not getting your parking spot, or as complex as the loss of a loved one. Any situation or circumstance that we resist creates stress. 

Take a few minutes now to recognize and identify any areas that may be causing you stress. Take inventory of where your mental, physical, and spiritual energy is going. 

1. Write down the things/people/events that are creating stress for you.
2. Next to each item write, “Yes” if you can do something about it or, “No” if it is out of your hands. 
3. For the items you wrote “Yes” next to, write down what action you choose to take to resolve it and when you will complete it by. Pull out your calendar and book the appointment time that you will take care of it.
4. For the items that are out of your control, write down the method you will use to LET IT GO. 

The method may be a matter of you praying or meditating to release the burden. It may be that you write in your journal. It may be you simply saying, “I let this go” out loud. Sometimes, just identifying it and choosing to let it go is all it takes. 

Choose now to LET GO of the things that are out of your control.Take action on the things that are within your control and enjoy the extra energy you have from doing so.