Is It Time to Stop Trying Too Hard?

Trying too hard

In our society we are encouraged to keep going and never give up. Persistence has its rewards. Only those who keep going eventually succeed.

This is true for things you are passionate about. If you KNOW with all your heart that you are meant to do something and that your life would be miserable without it, persistence is your salvation.

If you are not passionate about something and you are struggling with it, then it is time to explore the underlying motives behind your struggle and the need to keep doing the same thing.

This brings me to the other type of trying too hard: Are you trying too hard to prove a point? Are you trying too hard to fit in? Are you trying too hard to get attention and validation?

If you are struggling because you feel you are not good enough no matter what you do, then it may be time to stop trying. You are trying for the wrong reasons and this is painful and frustrating.

Stop trying and see what happens.

What if for a day you didn’t care if anyone read your blog post or tweets? (Big reminder to self).

What if you didn’t care what people thought about the way you look or how much money you earned?

What if you didn’t care that other people have better jobs, vacations and more money?

What if you didn’t care about the website you’ve been meaning to work on for the past five years and it’s still not done?

Forget about all the things you do that lead you nowhere. Forget about the things you started and can’t seem to finish year after year.

You know as well as I that you won’t die from not trying too hard. On the contrary, you will probably have more peace in your life. More peace in your life will give you clarity about what you are passionate about. Then you will be on a new path. Your own true path.

Like so many things in life, not trying too hard is simple but not easy. How can you do it?

The first step is to make a decision to stop trying and stick to it. Observe your thoughts and emotions. Become more aware of them.  If you have negative feelings, focus your attention on the feeling in your body. Don’t judge or try to suppress it.  The feeling will dissipate as you continue to focus on your body. Then smile and remind yourself that you simply don’t care. Repeat as needed.


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