The Most Important Lesson from Taoism

To Be In Oneness With The Universe

“I’ll be happy when I get X.”

I’ll be happy when I reach Y.”

I’ll be happy when Z happens to me.”

Have you found yourself in this vicious cycle of procrastinating your happiness? Well, I have. In my last job, I wanted to get rid of my toxic boss and get myself a peaceful work environment to be happier.

Now, exactly after one year, I am living the exact life that I wanted for myself. But guess what? I still feel like I am not where I need to be.

There’s a resistance. I am trying too hard to reach my goals. It feels like I am always running after one thing or the other.

We always have something we need or something we desire.

There are always thoughts about what all we could have been, what all you could have achieved, only if you were in a different place — with new opportunities.

Once you get into that cycle of everything that you’re not and everything that you need to be, it’s impossible to pay attention to the present moment. You may be aware of what’s happening around you it but you won't be conscious since your focus is elsewhere!

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.” -Eckhart Tolle

When you’re highly ambitious, you have hundreds of ideas going on in your head, you want to achieve so much and work extra hard to become your ideal self. You debate with yourself whether you should hire a new coach or start that campaign, but no matter what you do, it’s never enough.

The time travelling of your mind will steal the peace away from your life and this moment.

Resistance and efforts

Have you seen how restless you feel when you’re trying to hard to get a reply or to get likes?

What do we do when someone is trying too hard to win us?

We resist them.

This is exactly how the universe works.

When we apply too much effort, we are not competing with the “could haves” we are, in fact, in a sublime war with Nature or the universe.

The Chinese ancient philosophy of Taoism is based on living a simple and balanced life in harmony with nature.

Wu Wei aka effortless action

The literal meaning of Wu Wei is ‘doing nothing’. This concept is a key principle of Taoism or Daoism — and is at the heart of what it means to follow Dao or The Way.

The way in Taoism is in oneness with the universe and it’s believed that you’re exactly where you need to be.

The external force or efforts you make to be more successful or richer are not going to make be fertile if they’re not aligned with nature. The idea is to grow like nature, effortlessly, and with zero external influence.

Have you seen a plant trying too hard to grow?

When we try too hard, we miss out on serendipities and opportunities that are meant for us. They’re saved for us and scheduled at a specific timeline.

When you don’t force life, you realize you are life.

To govern is to control, to control is to destroy life.

The philosophy of Taoism was an eye-opening experience for me.

It taught me to go with the flow, believe in the power greater than us, and focus on being present because whatever we have is this moment.

“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.” ― Lao Tzu

When we’re in oneness with the universe, we don’t think about where we should be, we instead enjoy the present moment and know that we’re where we need to be :)

Let life unfolds itself to you.