Who said you have to “give it your all” or “give it your best shot”? As a young man and subsequently for most of my life, I lived by these words. Sometimes I succeed because of them and other times I failed. When I did give it my best and failed, it felt awful. Despite of our culture that says if you don’t give your all you will not succeed, I discovered the power of giving it your least. It’s not about being lazy or weak in your efforts, it’s about being wise in your actions.
I am not advocating giving it your least over giving it your best. What I am recommending is that you consider practicing both. They are two sides of a coin. That coin is called success. To have real success in love, money, health and happiness one must practice both doing and non-doing. This skill can make all the difference in the world.
If a situation in a relationship or at work requires action before taking action consider these two choices:
1) taking a action to engage with the person
2) taking no action other then to listen and breath.
Non-doing has every bit as much power as doing. The Buddha did nothing when he sat under the Bodhi Tree and became enlightened. The master martial artist practices the art of doing nothing. Why? Because doing your least allows the power of perception to play a role in what course of action to take, if any. Doing your least is discernment. Discernment is power. It can save your life!
When being mindful and discerning you can let the magic of life happen naturally. Magic does not happen because of you, it happens in spite of you, you just need to get out of the way.
The same logic applies to thinking big. On the other side of the coin we can think small. Sometimes small thinking leads to big ideas just as big ideas lead to small breakthroughs. In the big leagues of high tech, the motto is “think big or go home.” In the big leagues of imagination and new thought its “think small and come home.” When we embrace the power of what is small we can discover the simple little treasures in life. Those treasure are what bring us home to the spirit of peace and love.
Like all things in life, it’s about balance. Knowing when to apply which side of the coin requires the skill of a master. This is the art of conscious creating at its finest.
Please check out my deep dive into Soulful Listening and Talking. These practices will help you tune into doing you most and doing your least. It will help you when to think big or not at all. Most importantly, it will help show you when to apply them or not.
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Blessings,
Adam Hall