We hear a lot about living with an open mind and an open heart. Recently I came across a twist on that idea: live with your fists wide open. The thought behind it is simple. What’s meant for you will land and remain without you having to keep your hands clenched to hold it there.

That line stuck with me.

If I’m honest, I notice that I sometimes walk through life with my fists closed. Not because I’m trying to hold on to something—but because I’m trying to keep anything from landing there in the first place. If nothing ever lands, it can’t leave. Problem solved, right?

Of course, that’s not really how it works.

A clenched fist is also a protective posture. In movies, when a scene gets tense, you’ll see the character ball up their fists before anything even happens. They’ve already decided they need to defend themselves. I catch myself doing the same thing mentally sometimes—moving through the world a little guarded, a little braced for impact.

It makes me wonder how often we show up that way in life. Fists closed. Maybe we’re gripping something too tightly. Maybe we’re making sure nothing new lands there. Or maybe we’re just standing ready to protect ourselves.

But the truth is, anything we try to hold onto that tightly will usually slip through a gap we didn’t even know was there.

And honestly, that’s good news.

The things not meant for us aren’t supposed to stay. The right things—the right people, the right opportunities—don’t require white-knuckling. They arrive, and they remain.

But only if our hands are open enough to receive them.

XX,

MG