GIVING UP

One powerful aspect in the art of living has to do with relinquishing or giving up. This is an important skill to acquire, especially when dealing with the chaos of life.

The first thing to give up is the meaningless struggle of resistance. Chaos does not care if you are defiant, or if you decide to fight it. It does what it does; it goes where it wants to go. You would be better off if you accept it as it is, assess the situation and move along the direction of its flow.

The other thing to give up is the meaningless goal of clearing your plate. Get as much done as you can in one day, and leave the rest for tomorrow. There is no need to kill yourself trying to resolve all your open issues before calling it a day. As a wise cultivator of the Tao points out, on the day you pass away, you can be sure that there will be unread e-mail messages in your inbox.

The Tao Today

Understand that giving up, in this context, is not an admission of defeat. It is merely the clarity to know when you are wasting energy, and the wisdom to redirect that energy to a more constrictive purpose.

The Tao of Joy Every Day

~ Derek Lin