What Gives Your Life Meaning?

Many people lead stressful lives. They don’t spend enough time with loved ones and rarely feel a true sense of purpose in life.

‘Trying Not To Try’ explores ancient, Chinese philosophy to break down the art of being spontaneous, which will help you unite your mind and body, reach a state of flow, and breeze through life like a leaf in a river.

Here are some insights from the book:

1. Effortless work through total immersion in process.

Can you remember the last time you were completely engrossed in an activity? Well, Chinese philosophers have a word for this experience – wu-wei. It refers to being so wrapped up in an experience that you become one with the experience itself.

People tend to think of the mind as connected to rational thought and the body as more instinctive. We separate them along these lines as different entities. But for wu-wei, the goal is to bring these two “selves” together to work as one.

You don’t think, you just act, guided purely by instinct. Work done while in this state reflects the beauty, sincerity and ease of the process.

2. Effortless work leads to great power and a path to “The Way”.

“The Way,” which is Chinese philosophers concept of heaven: becoming the best human you can possibly be while you’re on earth.

Wu-wei unites your whole being, but people who are in this state also have “de”, a concept that refers to power, virtue and charisma. An automatic consequence, a side effect, of wu-wei. De transports one into a perfectly spontaneous mind-set.

You confidently follow through on your decisions and seem to charmingly implement them to the outside world. This is because you’re connected with your unconscious mind: you act based on your true values, not some rationally conceived plan. The result is someone who acts decisively, with charm and integrity.

3. Finding wu-wei is being honest, above all with yourself.

You can’t achieve wu-wei if you’re not sincere, both with yourself and with others. After all, if you don’t truly love The Way, there won’t be a powerful emotion propelling your practice. As a result, you won’t find the flow you’re looking for.

To reach a state where you completely get lost in your work, you really have to love it! This only happens to people who can take a good, hard look at themselves and figure out what it is that gets them the most meaning.

Would you recommend this book to anyone who is willing to become happier? Would you read it yourself? Please join the conversation and leave your comments below!

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Joe Calasan