The Control Factor

The Control Factor

©Allen Merritt (2015)

Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours to see
Que sera, sera

Remember that old song sung by Doris Day? It’s amazing how things work out when we allow ourselves to let it all go and go with the flow. Not everything has to be planned and scheduled to the inth degree. Sometimes the universe and powers that be can do just fine on their own at helping things along despite our attempts to control it.

Here is an example of a recent experience of mine demonstrating how allowing things to happen on their own can lead to amazing results.

After returning home from working on the road and living out of a suitcase for the better part of two months I got a call scheduling a local job for a Monday. On that day the coordinator asked if I would also be available for Wednesday. Now, on Wednesday a guest was arriving from the east coast, so I begged off the Wednesday job to make room to pick up my friend from the airport. A few minutes later, my manager notifies me I have an interview scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles. Suddenly, I have to make arrangements to travel, make sure my guest can find a ride from the airport and then begin my journey. All of this happened within a couple of hours. I didn't know if I was coming or going.

So, on Wednesday I began my commute and contemplated a plan on how to accomplish a couple of other tasks along the way. This meant trying to get through heavy city traffic and get the extra errands done in and around my job interview. The drive was smooth and free from vehicular congestion and allowed me to hit errand one on the way to the interview, make the interview earlier than planned before bopping over the hill to update paperwork at another location and get back on the road and drive home without any traffic whatsoever. I actually made the trip in about 9 hours.

Now, the point of my story is that I could not have planned any of this to work out the way it did on my own not even if my life depended on it. Yes, I would have tried everything possible to make these things happen, but from past experience I knew it didn't always work out, because factors beyond my control were in place. The powers that be opened the flood gates and helped me through it all, smoothly and efficiently.

Of course, I could say this schedule would have had just as great an outcome if I planned it from start to finish, right? Yes. Sure. However, when I look back at how it all began while I was scheduling my week on Monday, I can see the difference. I wasn't in control even though I was making effort to be.

It may not always work out this way, but perhaps there are reasons why one door shuts and another opens. Life is interesting that way. We just don’t always know why until later down the road. I guess when we try too hard, we are attempting to force things into happening by hanging on to that old control factor. As a result, it can interfere with the natural order of things.

I don’t necessarily believe that there is a magic formula to how things work out in life. We work hard, we learn, we grow, we plan, we schedule. We work harder. We do everything in our power and somewhere along the way we lose control. It never occurs to us that we are not always in control or that we shouldn't be in control. We are so busy jumping in and doing we forget to take a look at what we are doing and why.

Consider this: if we allow things to be what they are, perhaps everything will work out better than we could possibly imagine. Not always, but often enough. All we have to do is be present in each moment and be the best we can possibly be. For me, that’s something positive to think about, because I am always trying to get things under control.

Que Sera Sera, right?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7PrQX-bGCI

Cheers!