According to Webster; Try; to subject to a severe test or strain. Now compare it with allow; to let do, happen; permit; to acknowledge as true or valid. Now I don't know about you, but it seems as if there is much hard work with trying, as opposed to gently going through life allowing. Granted there is nothing wrong with trying to be your best, trying to do the right thing, trying to get it right.......but for me it brings with it a hint of self, ego, or pushing something that shouldn't or can't be pushed. That the actual act of trying goes against those things that come naturally, if allowed. It's as if you are pressing to reach perfection, which I believe happens only through nature, like watching the petals of a rose fold out into the open air. That is true perfection. Or watching a newborn baby grasp your finger without even knowing what they're doing. That is perfection.
When you see those two things happen, there is no trying involved....but only allowing something to reveal itself. Beauty from the rose, and love from the newborn. And of course these are only two examples of perfection on this earth that come from allowing, I'm sure you could add thousands to the list. But my point here is not necessarily about roses and babies, but how hard our life can be when we are focused on trying, instead of allowing. Maybe the trick here, is to be able to discern the difference between the two.
I suppose it might be easier for me, because I can physically tell the difference between the two, most likely due to my physical limitations. When you've been forced to weed out those things in your life that drain or challenge your energy or strength, in order to just stay afloat physically, you become extremely sensitive to internal drives as well as external forces. I can sense in my body the moment something goes from allowing to trying, because the energy is immediately affected. So, it's as if I have an internal alarm that goes off when I move into energy overload. And actually I think we are all equipped with that alarm, it's just that people who are well, will allow themselves to get close to the danger zone because they can physically handle it. I myself easily crash and burn, with days or months ahead of recooping from the stress. And that's not to say it's bad or good.....it just is.
So, I'm sure by now you're asking yourself if you spend your life trying or allowing........and you know how I feel about that........good place to start. Now....after you start to ask yourself which umbrella you fall under, can you get a sense of why you choose to try as opposed to allowing? And can you really see how they both resonate within your gut? I can say to myself that I will try to do something, but when I say that, my face even gets scrunched up, believing that if I push and strain, I will in fact accomplish my goal. If I say that I'm going to allow something in my life, it's a completely different sensation. It's a more gentle and accepting word, that is yielding and forgiving if the goal is not accomplished in the end. That I don't have to expect perfection, or heaven forbid, beat myself up if things don't turn out the way I think they NEED to turn out.
Allowing yourself to work on something implies a recognition that you are not perfect, nor seeking perfection, but only seeing something you want to pursue, and putting your best foot forward "gently". WOW.......that just blew over me like a gentle breeze, with only positive words.......nothing demanding, nor pessimistic, nor judgemental. As if a child asked her mother if she could make the cake herself, and her mother responding in a positive way like....."Absolutely you can make the cake, may I help you?" Which implies even though she realizes this will be the first time for the child, and it may be a little diffcult, but she instills in the child that there's nothing wrong with her wanting to make the cake, and that if she needs any help, her mom is right there to guide her.
What a completely different world we would live in today if everyone had that attitude........and you can see clearly, it makes all the difference in how we look at goals and challenges we face everyday. Now this doesn't mean you have to completely throw out the word try, and replace it with the word allow. Even though there would be nothing wrong with "allowing" yourself to "try" that. But maybe if you knew in your own head from now on, when you use the word try, that your attitude about the word is a bit different. Your brow is not scrunched, you don't feel a sensation of pushing, or demanding that you reach a particular goal, or else.
It actually gives you permission to be kind and gentle towards yourself if you don't reach your goal. As if you've provided a soft place to land if things don't turn out the way you thought they needed to. This seems a much gentler way to navigate through life, for yourself, as well as those around you. For as much as we demand and expect for ourselves to achieve, it's just as easy to demand and expect others to as well......and in this day and age........we all deserve a nice soft place to land.
