All Is Well – How These 3 Little Words Changed My Life

All is well. Three little words, but what a game changer they have been for me. They are simple, certain and they are bold.

“All is well.” Last week, I heard those words in every encounter with my new Jamaican family at Jake’s Hotel in Treasure Beach, Jamaica where I taught a yoga retreat. This resort in the quiet, quaint fishing village of Treasure Beach on the southern side of the island oozed peace, serenity and, well, “chill”. Over the course of the week I got to know and grew to love many of the Jake’s staff and the locals of Treasure Beach. And I found my smile growing wider as these sunny folks somehow found a way to squeeze “All is well” into every conversation.

Interesting – because just a month ago, I was completely spellbound by Proof of Heaven, the story of a neurosurgeon, Dr. Eben Alexander, in which he described the miracle of his survival after contracting E. Coli infection/meningitis and his experience of several days in a severe coma. Upon awakening from his near death experience (NDE), he uttered an uncharacteristic phrase to his family “All is well”.

I knew that I had to sit with this phrase. I pondered it and pulled it apart and after doing so the answer simply fell in my lap… All really is well. The sun keeps coming up everyday. I have plenty of food, shelter and love in my life. I am healthy and happy. All is well. And the rest of it, the drama, the drain, well, as they say, it’s just small stuff.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary these simple words are defined as follows:

All: the whole amount
Is: a state of being
Well: as one could wish

During my week in Jamaica surrounded by sweet smelling flowers and fresh ocean air, it was easy to adopt this new response. I shared it with the other yogis on retreat. It quickly became our retreat mantra as we flowed through a dozen plus yoga practices, settled our minds in meditation, soaked up the sun on deserted beaches and swayed and swirled during the reggae nights. We reminded each other of our new mantra as little daily inconveniences arose here and there.

You see, it is all okay, life that is. For most of us reading this blog, all is well.

We can learn to start right there, with that intention; our lives are as perfect “as one could wish.” Try writing “All is well” on some sticky notes as I have and place them where you will see them throughout the day, i.e. the steering wheel of your call, your refrigerator, your laptop, your pillow etc. Hold this simple, positive phrase in your pocket and it may just change your outlook on life. It may make you smile more or chuckle louder. You may feel lighter and sunnier. You may even take on the cheerful demeanor of my lovely Jamaican friends.

Watch out, because your new mantra just may fill you with positive energy, happiness and a new sense of excitement.
Ya man… All is well.