Living Efficiently
Ever wondered if there is a more peaceful, joyful, and effortless path to your goals? Turns out we are constantly fighting it. Let's explore what it means to live efficiently.
Living efficiently isn’t likely what you think it is. I don’t mean living productively or optimizing your time in the best way possible to get things done. Yes, that’s is “efficient” in how society defines life…but there is an alternate way to live that is in flow with the way of the Universe.
And this way couldn’t be further from what we grow up believing life is about.
In this post, we’ll explore how most of us live and what it means to live on the path of least resistance…and how to flow as water through life - peacefully, joyfully, and in abundance.
Let’s get started.
What does it mean to live inefficiently
Before we talk about how to live efficiently, it might be easier to define how we currently live.
I vs. Universe
We grow up believing that we are beings that exist in a world independent of us. This world exists as it is and we need to make our way and “conquer” it to get what we want.
In essence, it’s us against the world. And this is obvious when we look at some beliefs we grow up with that we adopt from our parents, schooling, and society:
Do what it takes to win
No pain, no gain
Hobbies are for “free” time
Suffering for money, success, and fame is worth it
Work hard now, reap the rewards later
Using your thinking mind to drive your life
When we think that we are pitted against the world, we often operate in a mindset of scarcity, competition, and fear. We use our rational mind to make decisions and take actions. Most of these are centered around “should dos.”
“I should get a high-paying job even if it’s not what I dream about doing.”
“I should do what it takes to be a millionaire.”
“I should get that promotion, then I’ll be set”
“I should exercise everyday”
“I should take a course in my free time rather than pursuing a hobby”
While I’m all for discipline, it is the source of discipline or the intent behind the action that matters. Is your intent for discipline coming from inspiration or is it stemming from fear?
Thinking creates friction
It is important to note that our mind is a tool with a specific job just as our lungs, heart, and kidneys have a specific job. More often than not, our minds take our past experiences and project scary futures. They intend to protect us but what they spit out isn’t necessarily accurate or relevant most times.
And so, if we use our thinking mind to drive our actions, we usually operate from a place of fear. We constrict our creativity and inspiration.
Most importantly, we block our intuition. Intuition is our connection to the Creator. The source of our desires and the path to fulfill them is guided by this Creator. Now, I don’t mean this from a religious point of view.
The Creator is this greater intelligence that is undeniably in everything. It’s how you knew to grow from a single celled embryo to a full grown adult without any conscious thought.
You already know what to do but thinking blocks it.
Pushing through obstacles
The “I vs. Universe” mindset solidifies the notion that we are separate beings that have to fight for what we want in this world.
If an obstacle comes along the way for us, we either play victim and give up or we push through and don’t take “no” for an answer.
Either way, we suffer.
When we operate from our mind, we have fixed plans based on our past that we try to impose on the world. We miss what is being offered in the present moment. We are so clouded by our thoughts, we aren’t able to see the creative, intelligent path that we can flow with.
In essence, we think a lot. And hence, suffer a lot.
We live inefficiently…
What does it mean to live efficiently
Now that we’ve approximated a baseline for how we live, let’s look at an alternate way of living. A way of peace, joy, fulfillment, and abundance.
I am the Universe
This perspective tells us that we are very much a part of this Universe just as a drop is part of the ocean and the whole ocean can be found in a drop.
In the same way, the Universe is like one marvelous, infinite organism of which we are a ‘cell.’ We are part of it and can experience it as the ‘cell’ and we can create or manifest things in it as the Creator. (If we are spiritually advanced, we can experience it as the Universe as well…but let’s park that for a later time).
Physically speaking, we are made of the same things that make up the whole universe. What we consider a boundary - the skin of our body - is constantly interacting with the environment around us. In fact, our breath is repeatedly shared and recycled with the whole cosmos.
When we drop to the quantum level, everything is in a wiggly state as Alan Watts would perhaps say. Everything is wiggling and there are no real boundaries. The boundaries are manifested by our mind…and so is this whole Universe.
The greater intelligence (that I spoke about earlier) guides everything around us including us. If you just stop “thinking,” you’ll know what to do. You will be guided by your intuition - this greater intelligence.
By the way, I go into this in a lot more detail in my previous post linked here if you’re interested!
Doing less and getting more
The Creator in us gives us our desires (not our “should do” desires but our “just because” desires). When we truly want something in life for the sake of it, we are shown the path to it by the same Creator. The source of the desire and the path to it comes from the Creator. If we follow the path, reaching our end goals is inevitable.
So life is not about the end goals but rather about the unique journey of the human form.
When we have a desire, the Universe organism works to bring this desire into form. This greater intelligence guides you through your intuition on how you should participate.
In Taoism, there is a concept called Wu Wei, which means effortless action. This means we flow with the way of the Universe, staying receptive and open in each moment.
Sometimes doing nothing is better than meddling … just as muddy water gets cleared by waiting and letting it settle.
Doing nothing sounds defeatist in modern hustle culture. But it’s a more intelligent and efficient way of living because now you operate as the whole Universe. You the ‘cell’ aren’t taking action but the organism of which you are a part is working cohesively.
Sometimes, you do a lot.
If you follow your intuition, you live efficiently and let the Universe help you on your path. You participate when needed as guided by your intuition. You flow with the way of the Universe not against it.
There’s no thinking involved. Because there’s no thinking, it is effortless and efficient.
Going around obstacles
When obstacles show up in life, we stay open and receptive to fully absorb the present moment. It’s as if we are deciphering an intelligent puzzle. We know what to do but this knowing may not always be rational. In fact, most times, the guidance our intuition gives will be opposite to our thinking! That’s because our minds want to protect us from what we don’t understand rationally…from the unknown.
But that’s where creative, boundless solutions lie! Following this path, however scary, is where we live life to the highest potential.
We live efficiently, we flow like water…Where we leap, a net appears or sometimes we may just soar.