embrace the gentler way of being

Have you ever tried opening a jar with a tight lid, and you tried and tried, and the jar just wouldn’t open? You gave all your strength, but still no success! The more force you applied, the harder you tried, and the more frustrated you became. Right? And then, you just took a quiet pause, you stopped trying for a few moments, relaxed, and tried again with more deliberation and sensitivity this time. Voila! The jar opened instantly with the slightest turn, and the lid came off right away.

This happens to many of us in our lives as well. While some people don’t put any effort, others end up trying too hard. But there’s a gentler approach we can all take: a way of being where we walk the middle path and avoid the extremes.

Instead of trying to make it happen every second of our lives, just take a step back and let go of all the pressure. Choose chill over thrill for a short while; you won’t miss or mess up anything, I promise.

No matter what you do in your personal and professional life today, embrace the gentler way of being and let things unfold.

Forcing yourself to do things and trying too hard is never a sound strategy. If you’ve done exactly that most of your life and not gotten any favorable outcomes, then maybe it’s time to pick a different approach.

As Melody Beattie explains, “‘If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well,’ doesn’t mean if it’s worth doing, try harder and harder. Doing it well means relaxing and letting the actions unfold—gently, naturally, without force. We don’t have to make things happen. We can learn to take our part in letting them happen. It is really okay to ease up a little. We don’t have to think that hard, try that hard, feel that hard, do quite so much. Pull back a little. Relax.”

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