Wu Wei – Not Forcing Yet Achieve More

 

There is a natural flow underlying everything. If you know the flow and go with it, you can tap into it to get things done without excessive striving. Similarly, although you can force things to happen, you have to work doubly hard when you are doing other things in life. 

The more you go with the flow of nature, the more you will be able to enjoy an easy and fulfilling life. 

In whatever you do, observe whether you’re forcing.  

If you have to force something to happen, see how you can do it differently without using force. Chances are you’d be able to find a more effective way to do it. Listen to and go with the rhythm of nature. Then you’ll have the blessing of nature to work with you to do it effortlessly.

You Can’t Force Sleep

Let’s say that it’s time to go to bed. It is important to know what can induce sleep naturally. You don’t begin to get into a sleeping mood when you go to bed. You do well before that. It can be listening to calming music, taking a warm bath, or meditating. These are transitions that prepare you for sleep.

What if the moment you go to bed and turn off the light, thoughts start pouring in. You regret the stupid ideas that you brought up during the meeting during the day. You’re worried about whether you can persuade the customer to renew the contract when you visit them the next day. How are you going to sleep?

Don’t force it. Yield to it. 

What if the moment you go to bed and turn off the light, thoughts start pouring in? You regret the stupid ideas that you brought up during the meeting during the day. You’re worried about the meeting with your client tomorrow. How are you going to sleep?

One of the things that you can do is to pour what you have in mind into paper. Write down your anxious feelings – whatever comes to mind so that you can ease anxiety before bed. If you can’t sleep when staying in bed for half an hour, allow your brain to discharge whatever is swirling around it. 

Of course, if the insomnia is due to medical conditions, then it is important that you seek professional help. Even then, explore how going with the flow of nature can help you alleviate the problem.  

The worse thing is to force yourself to sleep.

What you must understand is that if you are impatient and force yourself to sleep, you’re getting your body to work harder. As a result, you find it even harder to sleep.

Since there are so many things on your mind, you’re not in the rhythm of sleep. Then it would help to let go of whatever is on your mind to bring on the rhythm. 

If you are impatient and force yourself to sleep, you’re getting your body to work harder. As a result, you find it even harder to sleep.

You Can’t Force Love – Wu Wei Not Forcing

When you force things through, you put in even more effort. As a result, you disrupt the flow of nature. You work harder, but you produce less result. 

The same thing happens to a lot of things in life. Love, work, health, leadership, you name it. 

We often fail to let nature take its course because we don’t have the patience for the right thing to happen. If you try to force things to happen, there’s a good chance that we have to struggle and become unnatural. It can backfire.

It happens to relationships. You can’t force someone to love you. It has to happen naturally. You can have all the reasons for you to put in more effort. But when you begin to force through, the flow is disrupted, and things get worse. On the other hand, if you can be comfortable and confident in yourself, you allow flow of nature to return. Now, you can listen to the rhythm and see what’s the best things to do next. But don’t force it. 

Try to use the same principle “wu wei – not forcing” to everything you do. In your career or business, spot opportunities to go with the flow rather than force things. I’m sure you’ll be present surprised how doing less can in fact, be a blessing.