You might relate to the experience that when you finally stop trying to force things to happen, progress happens as it should. But you might also note the contrary to also be true. You might have experienced that when you don’t put requisite effort into a given situation that things do not work out either.
So the contradictions. Putting too much effort backfires…and putting too little effort backfires.
So then you might try to put some medium effort — but that ends up bringing average, mediocre, bland results..and life.
So what gives?
How does this work?
How much should one ‘try’?
Well…I feel we’re asking the wrong question. The right framework?
It’s not about trying…it’s about trusting.
That’s the source.
Through trust in our deeper selves, we end up discovering how much effort to express and when to let go…as is right for our soul. We trust our higher voice to guide us through a given situation, and our contribution towards a given issue. And through this trust, progress happens…as it should.
We don’t get some ‘perfect result’…in fact it could look pretty ugly, messy, or awkward from the outside. But it is ‘perfect for us’…whatever that might be. It is the right ‘stepping stone’ for us to go through.
Effort is GOOD…so long as it is coming from trust. If effort is coming from MISTRUST, it’s bound to fail. An overexertion of effort typically is a symptom of MISTRUST — and that is why over-effort tends to backfire. An underexertion of effort is also a symptom of MISTRUST — and that’s why underexertion fails.
Cultivating self-trust is a bit mysterious. It isn’t easy. It’s a bit tricky…but I feel this process can be honed over a lifetime, through meditation and introspection. I’m continuing to hone this process…fine tune it, understand it, and tweak it. I hope to share more along the way, and learn from you and others.
Ranjeeth Thunga
rkt@perspectivemapper.com