The Law of Least Effort

16 Aug The Law of Least Effort

An integral being knows without going, sees without looking,

and accomplishes without doing.

— Lao Tzu

The fourth spiritual law of success, the Law of Least Effort, is based on the fact that nature’s intelligence functions with effortless ease, with carefreeness, harmony, and love. This is the principle of “Do less, and accomplish more.” When we learn this lesson from nature, we easily fulfill our desires.

If we observe nature at work, we see that the least effort is expended. Grass doesn’t try to grow; it just grows. Fish don’t try to swim; they just swim. This is their intrinsic nature. It is the nature of the sun to shine. And it is human nature to make our dreams manifest into physical form — easily and effortlessly. What is commonly called a “miracle” is actually an expression of the Law of Least Effort.

Least effort is expended when our actions are motivated by love, because nature is held together by the energy of love. When we seek power and control over other people, we spend energy in a wasteful way. When we seek money for personal gain only, we cut off the flow of energy to ourselves, and interfere with the expression of nature’s intelligence. We waste our energy chasing the illusion of happiness, instead of enjoying happiness in the moment. Attention to the whims of the ego consumes the greatest amount of energy. But when our internal reference point is our spirit, our actions are motivated by love, and there is no waste of energy. Our energy multiplies, and the surplus energy we gather can be channeled to create anything we want, including unlimited wealth. When we harness the power of harmony and love, we use our energy creatively for the experience of affluence and evolution.

~

How can you put the Law of Least Effort into action? There are three things you can do. The first thing is to accept people, situations, and events as they are, not as you wish they were, in this moment. This moment is as it should be, because it took the entire universe to make this moment. When you struggle against this moment, you struggle against the entire universe. You can intend for things to be different in the future, but in this moment, accept things as they are.

The second thing is to take responsibility for your situation and for all the events you see as problems. This means not blaming anyone or anything for your situation, including yourself. Responsibility means the ability to have a creative response to the situation as it is now. All problems contain the seeds of opportunity, and this awareness allows you to take the moment and transform it into a better situation.

If you do this, every upsetting situation becomes an opportunity for the creation of something new and beautiful; every tormentor or tyrant becomes your teacher. The relationships you have attracted in your life are precisely the ones you need at this moment; there is a hidden meaning behind all events that is serving your own evolution. And if you choose to interpret reality in this way, then you will have many teachers and many opportunities to evolve.

A third way to put the Law of Least Effort into action is to practice defenselessness. This means relinquishing the need to convince others of your point of view. By doing this, you gain access to enormous amounts of energy that have previously been wasted.

When you have no point to defend, you stop fighting and resisting, and you can fully experience the present, which is a gift. When you embrace the present, you begin to experience the spirit within everything that is alive, and joy is born within you. As you drop the burden of defensiveness and resentment, you become lighthearted, joyous, and free. In this joyful, simple freedom, you will know that what you want is available to you whenever you want it, because your want is coming from a state of happiness, not from a state of anxiety and fear.

The Law of Least Effort assures us that there is always a simple, natural path to fulfillment. Nature’s intelligence unfolds spontaneously through the path of least effort and no resistance. This is the way that you can live, too. When you combine acceptance, responsibility, and defenselessness, your life flows with effortless ease. Your dreams and desires flow with nature’s desires. Then you can release your intentions without attachment, and when the season is right, your desires will blossom into reality.

To Experience the Law of Least Effort:

• Accept people, circumstances, and events as they are in this moment. When confronted with any challenge, remind yourself, “This moment is as it should be,” because the entire universe is as it should be.

• Take responsibility for your situation without blaming anything or anyone, including yourself. Every problem is an opportunity to take this moment and transform it into a greater benefit.

• Relinquish the need to defend your point of view. In defenselessness, you remain open to all points of view, not rigidly attached to one of them.

__________________________________

Excerpted from The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. Copyright © 1994 by Deepak Chopra.