Recently I took a client through a guided meditation.
Afterwards she said to me:
“I could feel how much effort it takes to live life.”
Most of that effort is invisible.
Unmeasurable.
And probably not the kind of effort you’d expect.
No, it’s not the effort of making sure you’re at work on time.
Of meal prepping for the week ahead.
Of dragging yourself out of the house to work out at the gym.
Sure, these things take effort, but they’re not the main reason you often feel exhausted.
What’s truly effortful is not what we do.
It’s how we see life, and what we think it demands from us.
When I ask you what you think your life is about, you may say something like:
* Building a life that feels meaningful;
* Living an authentic life;
* Being the best version of yourself;
* Living a happy life;
* Creating success and leaving a legacy;
* Making a positive difference.
Different answers.
But what they all have in common are some underlying assumptions:
– That you need to figure out what you want your life (work, family, etc.) to look like;
– That you need to figure out how to create that;
– That if you run into any obstacles along the way, you need to figure out how to deal with them;
– That it’s up to YOU to create life the way you want it;
– And if unforeseen circumstances show up, it’s, again, up to you to find ways to deal with or solve them.
That’s a lot.
A lot of responsibility.
A lot of pressure.
And most of all, a lot of effort.
We never question this.
It’s just part of life, right?
Well … it’s one way to live life, sure.
But there’s another way.
A way that’s (much) lighter.
Easier.
Clearer.
And more joyful.
You see, you don’t need to figure anything out.
You don’t have to make anything happen.
And nothing rests on your shoulders.
Birds don’t need to look on their calendar to know when it’s time to fly south. They just leave.
The wind doesn’t need a reason to blow.
It just does.
Squirrels don’t wonder what their purpose is or what would make them happy. They just gather nuts and do other squirrely stuff I know nothing about.
Humans are the only ones who complicate life by thinking living is something they need to steer, manage, control.
When you can also just … live.
You’ll still make money, grow your business, stub your toe, get a headache, grieve the loss of a loved one, or bake apple pies.
Just without the sense that dealing with everything rests on your shoulders (or that there’s something to deal with at all).
Life is still life.
Only lighter.
Love,
P.S. Less effort … that’s one of the things my private coaching is all about.
Inner pressure dissolves and life (and work) gets lighter, easier.
P.P.S. Liked this blog?
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