Dear SGI Goddess,

Ever spend so much time in front of your computer screen ...

... that when you get up you realize [too late] that your body is stiff from holding a certain contracted position for way too long -- as if your neck and legs turned to cement?

I get it.

Last week I went to see a healing touch practitioner to receive an acupuncture session, and she reminded me of a beautiful concept known as Effortless Effort.

In our “grind for your success” world that too often glorifies hard work and more hard work, there exists a concept called Effortless Effort. It's akin to the art of Wu Wei in Daoism, where action flows without tension, and productivity arises naturally.

Picture this: you're cooking, conversing, or typing an email, yet you're not strained or stressed. That's the essence of Effortless Effort—giving just enough focus without draining all your energy. Without being emotionally tense and physically contracted.

We've been conditioned to believe that success demands exhaustive effort, but what if the secret lies in doing things more effortlessly?

What if you could more consciously find that sweet spot where action arises effortlessly, just as water flowing effortlessly through cracks will take the path of least resistance?

Embracing Effortless Effort means letting go of rigid expectations and allowing things to unfold naturally – to flow, like water, rather than force.

As my friend Dana recently shared,

Dana’s so right … the river flows, and we have a choice to flight it and push against it -- determined to swim upstream with all our might, or we can flow with it and end up where we are meant to be, only a lot less exhausted.

Instead of making life harder than it needs to be, what if you embraced the simplicity of Wu Wei this week? What if you approached tasks with a light, effortless touch, like water flowing downstream?

Practicing Effortless Effort starts with awareness—observing when you’re exerting unnecessary tension and learning to relax into the flow of life.

By surrendering the need for exhaustive effort and embracing the art of Wu Wei -- giving just enough and no more, as in … dropping your resistance and replacing it with flow -- you can do hard things with less burnout.

Which is exactly why I stopped for take-out on my way home last night. ;-)

This week, I encourage you to ask yourself a magical question:

✨ How might this be easier? ✨

Hugs,

AmyK