I’ve often found before that sometimes when I try really hard to make something happen thats challenging, then it’s actually harder to achieve, but when I relax or do very little effort, it can happen so easily.
One example of this is when I started China Admissions. I was working very hard on other work, and China Admissions was growing faster although I was spending much less time on it. I then decided to work full time on it.
I’ve also found many other times when I’ve been trying really hard and it seems to push it away. But when I spend less effort on it, and focus on it less, then it can be achieved much more easily.
I’ve also found the same issue when I’ve been trying to solve a problem. I’ve been working really hard on it, but then when I relax and go for a walk, the solution comes to me.
There has been a few times when I’ve been working very hard for a number of days, sometimes working 16+ hour days or 100+ hour weeks, just constantly thinking about work all the time, but towards the end I’ve found that I get less results, and diminishing returns. Then I’ve taken a day off and actually ended up doing more productive work by getting new ideas that transforms how I’m working or solutions to the business.
There is a Chinese word: Wuwei which is the art of not doing.
So I’m now considering ways I can do less but achieve more. It’s all about the mindset, and I think when you are forcing something then it can sometimes push it away. Just like when an athlete overtrains and gets an injury Vs relaxes.
But when you relax, and imagine things happening effortlessly thats when things start happening.
The amount of effort and power you have as one person is quite a lot, but it’s limited compared to the energy that exists outside of you – in others and in the world.
Ride the Waves
It is important to recognise that there are many powerful waves going on all around us, and we can achieve more by harnessing the waves and energy that exist in the world.
Eg., there are huge numbers of students looking to study abroad, there are lots of investors with money who are looking for ways to make a return for their shareholders, there are lots of people going online and looking for engaging content. There are many people who are looking for engaging work to do and to find a job so they can progress in their career and build their income. There are many other waves of energy going on around the world that we can tap or harness to achieve more.
It much more powerful and effective to recognise and ride the waves of energy that are all around us than by forcing ourselves to work harder.
The difference is between paddling super hard on a surf board Vs riding wave.
The difference between paddling and riding a wave is night and day. When you are riding a wave, it is almost completely effortless, you are just managing the position of the board. But if you are paddling in open water, it doesn’t matter how hard you are paddling, you will never go as fast as someone who is riding a wave.
