Religious missionaries try to make others adopt their belief systems, sometimes in brutal, violent ways.

As well-intentioned as these individuals might be — thinking that by doing so the state of the world will be improved, or God's will fulfilled — the approach could not be more misguided, and serves as one of the clearest examples of the pitfall of the "try to" attitude, which can be a major stumbling block on the path.

If you are working in some relationship to a concept of God, walking a spiritual path, practicising yoga, and the like, you will notice a theme start to emerge as your practice unfolds—surrender.

Spirituality asks you over and over again to surrender. To give up your concepts of right and wrong. To give up effort and personal will power. To give up your identity. To give up trying to make yourself and the world a better place.

It does this not because these things are inherently wrong but because it is delivering what you want—i.e., abiding peace and knowledge of the truth.

You begin to learn that nothing is lacking in this moment. How can the moment be different than it is right now? Does that not make it perfect and in a certain kind of harmony?

You understand that nothing needs doing in the strictest sense of the word. You move more into the "being" state of mind, where your life is governed by flow, more than action.

One truly steeped in the knowledge of God does not, and cannot differentiate between friend and foe, no more than she can differentiate between plant and animal.

She sees only unity and oneness. And the power of this knowledge and the healing aura it radiates, is sufficient to dispel any so called darkness nature has deemed unfit to serve.

If we are trying to do anything, we have forgotten who we are. Our trying to attempts are really our attempts to remember who we are. Unfortunately, they often involve other people, causing stress, drama, and confusion, and further external seeking for answers.

But, we need sources of frustration to turn us inwards towards the truth.