Stop struggling

Everyone has experienced moments of awareness at some point in their life. Such moments are always characterized by peace, tranquility and calmness. You are relaxed yet intensely alert and completely alive without too much effort or struggle.

These moments arise sometimes when you have given up. When you have stopped struggling and your mind has stopped racing. Most of the times, due to our lack of awareness, we are trying too hard. We struggle too much, putting in too much effort. This effort can be physical, mental, emotional, intellectual etc depending on what we are doing. By extension, we struggle too much in our lives. We make life more complicated than it is or needs to be.

Note that struggling is different than concentrated effort in the right direction with awareness. We are not advocating inactivity or not putting in effort towards your goals.

When I was learning ballroom and latin dancing, I, like every other beginner, was trying too hard. It is only when I realized this, relaxed both physically and mentally, and stopped struggling that I became a very good dancer. The improvement was dramatic and almost sudden. Perhaps you have had this experience while learning some other skill - maybe swimming or rollerblading etc.

Sometimes we struggle even when we have no control over events or outcomes. Then we also struggle because we have just gotten used to doing it and because it gives us a false sense of being productive even when there is nothing productive that can be done.

Obviously, putting in too much effort or struggling is a waste of energy and time. It also is a hindrance to being aware and to being alive.

Part of being aware involves becoming aware of our constant struggle, asking ourselves a simple question, "Am I trying too hard? Am I struggling too much?" If you have realized the fact once, then just asking this question will calm you down and increase your awareness at that moment.