How long will it take?
For many years, at great cost, I traveled through many countries, saw the high mountains, the oceans.
The only things I did not see were the sparkling dewdrops in the grass just outside my door.
RABINDRANATH TAGORE
There is a Zen parable that I think is very interesting, and rather counterintuative.
A martial arts student approaches his teacher and asks, "How long will it take me to master this craft?"
The teacher replies, "10 years."
The student, looking impatient, responds, "I want to master it faster than that. I will work harder than anyone else. I will push myself to practice for many hours every single day. I won't rest until I become a master. How long will it take then?"
The teacher considers this new information, smiles, and answers, "25 years."
This story brings to life a concept called the Law of Reversed Effort, coined by author Aldous Huxley:
"The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed."
It's easy to find examples from your own life where this concept rings true:
When you press to try to complete a creative task, you become less creative.
When you try to force yourself to fall asleep, you stare at the ceiling awake.
Elite sprinters follow the 85% rule: They try to run at 85% intensity because it keeps them loose, fluid, and effortless. When they try to run at 100% intensity, their body tenses up and they slow down.
The lesson here is simple: When you adopt a mindset of balance, relaxed effort, you achieve greater heights.
Life is not about pushing to the max at all times—this is a recipe for burnout and bad results.
Balance your effort, learn to breathe and flow in everything you do. If you find that headspace, you will always thrive, at work and play.
Relax into the thing you are doing, and notice when tension and constriction show up.
The moment the tension shows up, relax into it and dissolve it.