Surrender to the current and time to decelerate

Let me share a lesson about surrender that transformed my understanding of life's transitions. I learned it from a healer I worked with in 2019, and I would like to share it with you.

In whitewater rafting, guides teach a counterintuitive truth about surviving on the river. When thrown overboard into turbulent waters, our instinct is to fight – to thrash and struggle against the current's power. This reaction, while deeply human, is the wrong reaction. You’re not more powerful than the river’s current, so fighting against it wears you out, putting your life at greater risk.

Instead, experienced guides offer wisdom that extends beyond the river. Assume the position of a mummy, arms crossed over your chest, feet forward, and surrender to the flow. Though you may bang into a few rocks along the way, the current will eventually carry you to calmer waters, where you can safely find your way to shore.

This river wisdom speaks directly to our journey through life’s transitions. How often do we resist the natural completion of a chapter – perhaps a role that once energized us but now feels hollow or a professional identity we've outgrown but cling to out of familiarity? We expend our life force fighting against the very currents that might guide us toward something more meaningful and authentic downstream.

What if we recognized that beneath the surface of our careers and lives flows an invisible current of meaning? It whispers to us in moments of quiet reflection, suggesting possibilities beyond our carefully constructed plans. This isn't about passive resignation but rather about developing a more nuanced relationship with change—one that honors our capacity for intentional action and the wisdom of allowing life to reveal its next direction.

Over years of inner exploration, I've experienced how surrender is the doorway to unexpected gifts. To me, it is THE essential tool for personal transformation.

Each time I've released my grip on controlling outcomes and allowed myself to be guided by life's deeper currents, I've discovered resources and possibilities that my analytical, rational mind could never have planned. This path led me away from the choppy waters I found myself in at the tail end of my career in Silicon Valley and toward work that feels genuinely aligned with my intended purpose here on earth.

Perhaps you're feeling the exhaustion of swimming against your own currents – holding onto a career that once served but now constrains, maintaining professional identities that no longer reflect your evolving nature, or sensing a call toward something new but feeling uncertain about releasing the familiar. If so, you’re not alone.

This recognition of life's natural seasons of release and renewal inspired us to create the Downshift Decelerator. We recently opened applications for our Spring 2025 program, which is designed for founders, executives, and other ambitious professionals standing at similar crossroads. It begins with four immersive days at Menla Mountain Retreat in the Catskills (March 18-21) and is followed by six weeks of online learning and group coaching. If interested, take a look: https://www.downshift.me/decelerator

As for me and where the river is taking me next, I’m off to Tennessee in April to look for land. I feel drawn to a closer relationship with nature. I want to build a place that is not only my home but also acts as my daily medicine in pursuit of deepening my psychological, spiritual, and physical health. I want to build something beautiful that is a sanctuary for me and a place of rest and realignment for others. The more I surrender and let go, the more I feel drawn to it. So, time to let go and see where this feeling takes me…