Stop doing and start going.
Stop trying and start flowing.
Stop rowing and start sailing.
Try less, flow more.
“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try, the world is beyond winning.”
– Lao Tzu
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with a seemingly huge, impossible task, rest assured that it will get done in due time.
Any task will get done when a certain amount of effort and time has been fulfilled.
Bigger tasks simply take more effort or time.
Lesser effort requires more time.
Lesser time requires more effort.
And excessive worrying does nothing to help.
The best we can do is to think less and continue putting in the time.
“Everything is possible. The impossible just takes longer.”
– Dan Brown
Accidents can be extremely financially costly burdens to bear.
Think about the costs involved in a car accident.
Think about the cost of falling down and injuring your lower back.
Think about the cost of spilling water on your laptop’s keyboard.
The best part is, almost all of them can be avoided.
Slow down.
So many costly accidents can be prevented from the simple act of slowing down.
Slowing down makes us more present.
Slowing down forces us to be more careful and meticulous.
Slowing down reduces anxious/nervous energy.
All of these certainly help to prevent mistakes and accidents from occurring.
This doesn’t mean you should move at a snail’s pace.
But whenever you feel the urge to speed up or rush, remind yourself to be calm and take your time.
You are who you think you are.
Let go of what you believe you are and you open yourself up to possibilities of who you could become.
You might find that who you thought you once were is not actually who you are.
And this new you might be better after all.
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
– Lao Tzu
Many endings signal the start of new beginnings.
And new beginnings bring numerous possible outcomes.
Let’s not be too disheartened when you experience hardships and heartbreaks.
New beginnings bring new possibilities.
New possibilities bring new opportunities.
So there might be something good for you waiting at the end after all.
“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.”
– Lao Tzu
The reason why this saying exists is because we’ve been set in our ways that the truth, which more than likely goes against our current beliefs, disturbs us.
Even more so if the truth highlights a flaw, defect or negative outcome.
We feel disappointment, sadness or anger as a result.
Being told we have bad breath hurts.
Being told we’re not attractive hurts.
Being told our work is not up to standard hurts.
The further the truth is from your current beliefs, the more likely it will hurt.
But a lot of times, it’s better to know the truth than to continue believing in a lie.
Only then can we improve and be better.
“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.”
– Lao Tzu
The only certainty in life is that nothing is ever certain.
Change is the only constant in life.
Expect things to change, go wrong, or be different than what they currently are.
Be adaptive to change and you will fare well in this regard.
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you gonna get”.
– Forrest Gump
Rushing compromises quality.
Rushing causes burnout.
Rushing does more harm than good.
Like a company that rushes the production process of a product.
Like an employee that rushes to get a report done.
Like a student that rushes to cram a semester’s worth of material hours before an exam.
These are all recipes for disaster.
And they tend to result in outcomes that are most likely unsatisfactory.
Plan and allocate more time when you’re assigned to work on any task.
“Are you aware that rushing toward a goal is a sublimated death wish? It’s no coincidence we call them ‘deadlines.”
– Tom Robbins
In the most general sense, the novelty effect refers to positive/favorable reactions toward something new which eventually wears off after a certain period of time has passed.
Like starting a new hobby.
Like meeting someone new.
Like buying a new product.
Interest and enthusiasm are sky-high in the beginning.
Then depending on how things unfold and the amount of time that’s passed, the initial high starts to decline.
So be aware of the novelty effect.
Ideally, important decisions shouldn’t be made while the novelty effect is still in place.
Stick with whatever new activity/product/person/idea you’re engaged in long enough to assess things beyond the novelty effect.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and you need a quick fix to calm down, try this technique:
When you inhale, mentally say “Re”.
When you exhale, mentally say “lax”.
So a full inhale and exhale will have you mentally say the word “Relax”.
This simple exercise does two things – it forces your mind to be aware of your breathing and your mind is fixated on the word “relax”.
Do this for a couple of breaths and see how it works out for you.
“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”
– Sydney Harris
+-Life. 