I always wonder why the universe gives us these gifts when we let go. Don't we need them a tad more when we are desperately searching and in need? Perhaps it's the universe's way of teaching us the lesson of letting go.

When I compare how nature "does life" with such effortless grace and ease, with how we so often struggle, thinking we have to force or push things in a specific direction to create a fruitful and rewarding life worth living, I have to chuckle. Life flows, we need not try to push it.

Making peace with your anxiety and not fighting it is a concept used in everyday mindfulness training that was first introduced to me years ago when I was grappling with severe symptoms of anxiety.

"Know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em" are lyrics from a famous Kenny Rogers song, and they apply to life in so many ways. When do you give up? When do you throw up your hands and let things take their course, despite being unhappy with the state of it all?

There is a well-known saying that contains great wisdom: "Pain in life is a given, but suffering is a choice." Truly, suffering happens when we want life to be other than the way it is in the moment.

When we want anything badly -- a job, a relationship, money, a stroke of creative genius, etc. -- it creates an air of desperation. And this energy of desperation acts like a rubber wall and a heavy coat of armor -- what you want can't get to you.

I know the beauty of surrender -- the surrender of releasing my concerns upwards and of surrendering up to the greatest good and guidance available for me. It looks like relaxing and being patient, not being inactive but following inspired action.

Lacking emotional intelligence is the norm in our culture, and it is common behavior to hold our relationships hostage to our internal dissatisfaction and unhappiness. Tragically, it is too easy to buy into rejection and accept the blame.

As I began to grow up, I attempted to define myself -- this presence of "I" -- through endlessly collecting information. In this natural process of mental awareness inhabiting a body, I discovered a symphonic mandala of sometimes competing, sometimes complementing explanations.

The thing about holding on, letting go, and surrender is that when we fully realize our oneness with all, there is nothing to hold onto and nothing to let go of -- it is all here and all one.

The truth is, "will"-power won't -- it won't sustain us for the long haul because it's being held in place only by the conscious mind, and that part of the mind tends to get distracted, bored, tired and restless.