On Cultivating Radical Trust
A couple years ago, I was leading a call for my mastermind on trust. Radical trust.
One of the women asked me, “Ash, you talk about this unshakable trust, but how do you have it?”
It’s a great question. The answer is simple, but it’s not a short fix.
“I’ve developed it over time,” I said. “And I’ve done that by noticing over and over all the things that go right—every way in which I’m supported; even when it looks like an insurmountable mess. I choose trust because the alternative is fear, and I know enough to know that fear never supports anyone (unless you’re running for your life from a jungle cat, then fear does a damn good job of hustling you out of there.)”
And when I’m really walking the tightrope of trust, fear, and how is this all going to work out, I ramp up my gratitude and appreciation practice like a zealot on parade.
I look around my life and focus on the stunning minutiae.
I appreciate and lavish love on all the blessings that surround me.
Running water.
A living plant (this coming from a person who has had to work hard not to kill them, turns out they love water).
A text message from a friend.
A picture of a loved one.
A piece of furniture with memories embedded in its grain.
A fridge full of food.
A working vehicle.
A beautiful desk.
Two hands, ten fingers.
Legs that walk.
Eyes that see (try walking around a dark room with your eyes open and be grateful you’re not blind).
A voice that expresses.
Matches.
Cushions on a rocking chair.
The sun.
A collection of hand selected coffee mugs that make me smile with every sip.
I could go on for pages.
When I notice these pieces of my life, I open my heart and let the universal love that has no bottom and no end pour through me and on to them, and I know that everything will be alright, because there is always something to be grateful for.
There is always something to appreciate.
Always.
The smaller and more specific you get, the quicker you can ease any fear that creeps upon you.
You can overwhelm your senses with gratitude, and that, darling, is a good thing.
You can be so full up with appreciation that there is no room for doubt and grace envelops you like a cloak.
You can have complete freedom in your current circumstances with nothing more than being acutely aware of all the beauty and blessings that surround you.
Radical trust is a cultivated thing, and when I practice gratitude, the trust in me swells like a river after a hard rain.
There is no end to how good you can have it. There’s no limit to how free we can be. There is no cap on faith, and that is what will buoy you when life gets a little wobbly (as it always does, oh life, you so funny).
Think of trust as a balloon that you’ve got a hold on, gratitude is the helium that keeps it aloft, and you control the valve.
Fly high, darling.
Love and Grace,
