“Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don’t have to like it… it’s just easier if you do.” ― Byron Katie
What if Byron Katie is right that everything you experience is happening FOR you instead of TO you?
How would that impact your life, both day-to-day and in the long run? I can say from personal experience, that it dramatically affects both, and for the good.
When I first began seeking the divine in living, a friend shared this quote from Byron Katie, and I have used it to help me through tough times ever since.
So that we’re on the same page, let me start by sharing the foundation on which my belief can rest. Life on planet Earth is a school, a spiritual school of sorts. A place we’ve all come to learn and grown. To reconnect with our deepest values and life lessons.
From that vantage, let’s review Byron’s quote that everything is happening FOR us and what it might mean.
By now, I’m guessing that you may be wondering how financial woes or sick friends can be happening FOR us. What’s good about either of those?
It goes back to the foundation. Earth is a school. So, everything that happens to us is really happening for us because it is teaching us something. It is giving us something of value or making us aware of something we need to know.
A friend recently shared that she has fallen several times in the past month or two. In exploring what might be causing these mishaps, she began to see that she had been running in overdrive for too long. She’d become afraid that she’d miss something important. In truth, she was tired, but didn’t feel that she had the luxury of slowing down. The universe decided to help her out by slowing her down. While the fall may not be a joyful event, the lesson, when learned, was magnificent.
Even though I had learned this ‘lesson’ decades ago, it was only 5-6 years ago that I decided to truly embrace this philosophy wholeheartedly. I’ve come to see that my work is always to find the lesson hidden inside every occurrence.
When I learned I would need shoulder surgery, I quickly began to explore its purpose, asking how it was happening FOR me? On the surface, it certainly didn’t seem like a good thing. But it was. I realized that I had been carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. Thinking that if only I could help one more nonprofit have more impact or help a friend with their challenges – then I’d be making a difference. Contributing to the world in a positive way. I watched the news listening for ways that I could be a part of the solution, feeling genuinely responsible for some action. It got heavy.
With the surgery, I chose to release all that weight and responsibility. I do feel lighter!
In every situation, it’s my job, to figure out the meaning or purpose. It’s for me to ask – what is the purpose for it? That’s a very empowering position. I can’t be a victim if it’s happening FOR me. I may not be able to choose everything that happens, but I can definitely choose how I react to it; how I label that experience. Will I name it good or bad? It’s up to me to decide, and to remember that I have that power.
To believe that everything is happening FOR you takes practice and intention. It asks that you trust yourself and something greater. I have learned that the more I look for the message within, the easier it becomes. Looking has taught me that there’s always a reason and to trust my intuition as I explore the possibilities.
As you go through the many seasons of your life, I hope that you’ll begin to see that life is happening FOR you, and that there is good, even when we don’t see it.
Ann Ranson is a conscious leader and future-focused master facilitator providing guidance for powerful breakthroughs that help you shape your most fulfilled life. To find more joy and ease in your life, use the Self-Discovery Workbook. https://annranson.com/free-tips-tools-self-discovery/
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