Ever dabbled in the self-help space?
Been seduced by those preaching-teaching, do-more, be-more, make-stuff-happen prophets? I have.
Back in the early 90s I was a regular at a book shop in the city that sold esoteric everything. I remember it was on Druitt Street, kinda hidden from the hustle of life’s rush. I’d get lost among the shelves, stuffed full of more extraordinary words than I could ever devour in a lifetime – angel tales to the left of me, tarot guides to the right, essays on Jung and the pharoahs, tiny books called, Illusions and Jonathan Livingstone Seagull jostled for space with Khalil Gibran and the Old Testament…
Fast forward a decade and I’m in Wales, walking over hot coals before weeping in a room with 1,000 strangers (as orchestrated by the maestro of motivation himself, Tony Robbins). But I bowed out when the call came to ‘go to the next level’ and pay $10k for a course on his private Fijian island.
For most of my adult life I’ve pushed and prodded and held steadfast to the belief that I Must Make Things Happen – a statement that’s often smacked of struggle and a lust for results. Exhausting.
But the other day I read a simple, sweet little sentence that sent a rush of relief through me.
The Universe meets you at the depth of your surrender – not at the height of your struggle.
Ya mean, just do… nothing?! My mind stutters. Thoughts akimbo.
No. Not nothing. Just not everything.
© Phyllis Foundis 2025