Life is a set of experiences.

And while living each experience to its fullest is essential, what’s even more important is extracting the significant lessons from these moments that can create change in our daily lives. A big part of my spiritual journey has been finding beneficial teachings and reminding myself to practice them.

Doing this in the morning can be a great way to start our day. Below are three reminders which help me start my day off right:

1. I will let go of what I can’t control.

Our attempt to control aspects of our lives springs from our fear of the unknown. We usually create a particular outcome in our minds and get attached to its manifestation. We keep fighting life until we get what we want, and “think,” is best for us. And, oftentimes, this fails to work out.

I have learned that things go much more smoothly when I relinquish control.

The truth is that things usually fall into place without our constant need to push them. There is an immense universal intelligence that knows what is best for us. For this intelligence to work, we must surrender and give it the required space. If we don’t open the tap, water doesn’t flow. Same goes with the universe—if we don’t open up a path for things to happen, they never will.

As we wake up every day, we should remind ourselves that surrender is more powerful than control. We must change what we can, but we must also understand the nature of things we can’t change. Stop resisting and have faith that all is for the best.

2. I will forgive myself and others.

We are prone to encounter situations that cause us to be angry at ourselves and others on a daily basis. We might hurt someone, make a bad decision, or fail to complete our tasks. On the other hand, someone might hurt us or wrong us in some way.

I have learned that before reminding myself to forgive, I need to remind myself that I (or others) will make multiple mistakes throughout the day. We’re human beings—far from reaching perfection. We’re a bundle of emotions and reactions which we can’t always keep at bay, and as a result, we might slip.

Forgiving ourselves and others is imperative to our happiness. Instead of shaming someone for a mistake, we should try to understand the impulse behind their actions. Same goes for dealing with ourselves when we wrong someone. To forgive ourselves means to take responsibility for our actions and emotions and understand from where our reaction (or action) stemmed.

3. I will not judge what occurs.

We usually start our day by imagining what we think should happen. But life is full of good and not-so-good surprises, which we’re rarely prepared for. When something doesn’t go our way, we mentally judge it and try our best to fight it.

It is difficult to accept things as they are when we want something else to happen. However, we must allow the present moment to unfold with all its mystery and beauty. For this to happen, we must immerse ourselves in the present moment fully. As we wake up, we should remind ourselves that worrying about the future is futile and energy-draining. How many times have we worried about outcomes that never occurred?

Make it your spiritual practice to perceive life as a journey full of wonders. Jump into uncertainty and accept whatever life throws your way. And remember, it always throws it at you for a reason—so don’t waste time judging.

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Relephant Reads: 

25 Spiritual Quotes to Write on your Wall.

10 Ways to Rock Your Morning.

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Author: Elyane Youssef
Image: Flóra Soós/Flickr
Editor: Nicole Cameron
Copy Editor: Catherine Monkman
Social Editor: Waylon Lewis