What do you do when something shifts out of your control? When something you thought was settled suddenly isn’t. When you can’t force it, fix it, or make it go the way you planned.
That happened to me a couple weeks ago. I found out another author already had the title of my book. So I had to change it. From You’re Not Broken, You’re Becoming to Begin Where You Are.
At first, I felt that drop in my stomach. That tightness. That quiet thought, “You’re behind.”
But here’s the strange thing. The new title felt more aligned. More honest. More grounded. And somewhere between the frustration and the self-talk, I paused. Not dramatically. I just breathed. Not metaphorically. Actually breathed.
Slow inhale. Longer exhale.
And I said quietly, “It’s okay. All things are working for me.”
Nothing outside changed in that moment. But something inside did. I stopped fighting the stream. I stopped trying to wrestle the day into submission. Instead, I listened for the invitation inside the disruption.
Sometimes surrender isn’t giving up. Sometimes it’s alignment. Sometimes the interruption is actually a redirection.
Here’s the one step for this week:
When something doesn’t go your way, before reacting, before tightening, before spiraling, pause and take one intentional breath.
Close your eyes if you can. Inhale slowly through your nose for four counts. Let your chest rise. Then exhale gently through your mouth for six counts, longer than the inhale. As you breathe out, whisper quietly, “I release my grip.” Do that three times. Nothing dramatic. Just enough to remind your body that you are safe, that you are not behind, that you can meet this moment without fighting it.
You don’t have to win against the current. Sometimes the wave is trying to carry you somewhere better.
Begin where you are.
Breathe.
