When facing difficulties or challenges in life, many of us would either turn our back and run, or toughen up and meet them head-on. But instead of limiting yourself to these two choices, why not try going with the flow of adversity?
Going with the flow is often mistaken as accepting the decision of others passively even though you do not agree with them. It is also incorrectly associated with laziness and fatalism which gave it a rather disapproving connotation.
But going with the flow actually stems from Taoism’s concept of living in harmony with nature. It is a way of effortless living by making use of the existing energy around you to achieve what you want with the least effort.
A popular illustration of this concept is that of a boat in a river. By drifting in the direction of the current, one requires much lesser energy than rowing against it.
So, far from being a yes-man or a lazybones, when you go with the flow, you are riding on the prevailing energy to help further or achieve your goals, so that you ended up expending lesser effort than if you were colliding head-on with the dominant force.
How to Go with the Flow
Tapping into this flow is usually an intuitive process. But I’ve attempt to break down the process into concrete steps which you can use to tune into the energies of your life events, especially those that are not going in the direction you’ve intended:
Effortless Way to Overcome Adversities
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Be clear about your goals. Without clear goals, you will find yourself wavering or worse, abandoning your goals in the face of challenges and crises. Verbalizing and writing them on a computer or journal can be a tremendous help to crystallize your objectives.
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Let go of preconceived plans. Our conditioned mind often blinds us from the opportunities offered by our circumstances. While the knowledge we have accumulated are essential for practical everyday living, they can also trap us within our own imaginary walls and prevent us from seeing new possibilities. Write down the plans you have in mind if this helps you to offload them and make room for alternative ideas.
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Identify the major forces at play. They can be the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors or yourself, conflicting views in an ongoing meeting, and even the inner struggles within your mind. Which is the stronger energy, and why? Understand how it arises. Go into the mind and see things from the perspectives of others can also help to illuminate fresh angles that you may have missed.
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Use the dominant force to your advantage. Don’t rule out the unthinkable right away. For instance, if the opposing force is stronger and it’s driven by lots of destructive emotions, unleashing it can be one way of going with the flow. Although it may appear that you are strengthening the opposing energy, by allowing the energy to run out naturally, you are actually releasing pent-up emotions that are creating resistance to what you are trying to achieve.
A useful question to ask yourself is: What is the most natural thing to do now that requires the least effort, and will not conflict with my objectives and values?
Relaxing into the flow of an opposing force may sound counter-intuitive, but it can also be a strategy to conserve resources or mitigate losses so that you can have ample energy to rebound when the right opportunity strikes.
Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that no one force stays the same forever. A force that is going against you today may very well change its direction in favor of you tomorrow. So remember to be vigilant, stay in the flow and change your strategies according to the changing environment.
