Surrender Judgment

What would your world look like if you let go of the need to be right? What if, for one day, you surrendered all judgment? What do you suppose would happen to your relationships, your workplace, your home life? How would you feel inside?

Letting go of preconceived ideas is very difficult for some more than others. This continues to be the area of my ego that challenges me most. As a reformed perfectionist, it is ‘easy’ for me to slip back into old patterns of judgment, where I find fault OR excellence in all things. My mind is a judging machine! Even my Myers’ Briggs profile: ENFJ tells me I am, so I must be, right?? J

Yes, I have been right many times and when I am not as sure, I gather evidence (like the MB typing above) to back me up. I have surrounded myself with people that support my views and avoided those who challenge me. My Type A personality (more evidence) has had me so wound up when the world around me appears ‘wrong’ that I can barely cope… I have manifested illness like chronic back pain and headaches as I fight the concept of surrender: wouldn’t that make me wrong?? Wait, isn’t THAT another judgment?

I feel like I have been typing in circles. I apologize for that to the reader who is trying to pick some sense out of this blog today. The fact is that, without surrendering judgment, our minds do create vicious cycles that are difficult to stop. Once we decide that we are right, it automatically makes someone else wrong. How can good come from that? When we are in the cycle of judgment, we can easily miss the beauty of the imperfection of life.

If we remove the ultimate word of judgment, “should”, from our vocabulary, freedom will reign. Think about it! How many times each day do you find yourself saying things like: “I really should do the dishes now; The kids should do their homework now; My spouse should fix this now; My dad should mind his own business. My neighbor should take better care of …?” Surrender yourself to the flow of the Universe, and suspend judgment – even if for one day – and take note of the change in you and your environment.

When we surrender judgment, we have a remarkable opportunity to learn about ourselves. How we judge others is often how we perceive ourselves to be lacking. If we judge another to be stupid, fat, or ugly, it often comes from a deeper self-image issue that we need to address in ourselves. When we judge others to be imperfect, we are projecting the feeling of imperfection that we view in ourselves, even if we do so unconsciously. It is imperative (is that a judgment?) that we look inward to the source of our insecurities that ultimately cause us to form judgments. Accept what is and surrender the need to be right.

Imagine if we recognized the Divine beauty in all people and all things, accepting that how we see them is actually different than how others do. This is part of what makes this a wonderful world! We are blessed with the capacity to change our minds and change our worlds. Embrace the imperfect because it is there where beauty lies. Respond with compassion and love. Do this for yourself first, then other. Move forward with an open heart to what is possible and you will find inner and outer peace. What a beautiful Lesson Learned.
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