{"id":9077,"date":"2017-02-20T05:45:01","date_gmt":"2017-02-20T10:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newvinegrowing.wordpress.com\/?p=9077"},"modified":"2022-06-15T11:28:50","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T15:28:50","slug":"the-seven-spiritual-laws-of-success-4-the-law-of-least-effort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/newvinegrowing\/the-seven-spiritual-laws-of-success-4-the-law-of-least-effort\/","title":{"rendered":"The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: #4, The law of least effort"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deepak Chopra<\/a>\u2018s book, \u201cThe Seven Spiritual Laws of Success<\/a>,\u201d has been such a touchstone for me that I\u2019m writing about each of the seven laws over the coming weeks.<\/em>
\nI grew up believing the only way to get what you want is to work hard. My family emphasized the value of a strong work ethic, and I\u00a0graduated from college focused on powering my way up the career ladder.<\/p>\n

\"New
Our new year card for 2013 featured images wishing recipients good luck in various forms.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then I met my husband, John, and saw how many times in his life he simply trusted that wild leaps\u00a0would work out and they did. He didn’t sweat it. He was\u00a0really lucky, I thought.
\nBut according to Deepak Chopra, John showed me the law of least effort. Not that there’s no value in investing time and effort in doing a job well or learning a skill, but that when you’re in sync with the power of the universe, you can achieve your goals with surprising ease.<\/strong>
\n“If we observe nature at work, we see that least effort is expended. Grass doesn’t try to grow, it just grows. Fish don’t try to swim, they just swim. Flowers don’t try to bloom, they bloom. Birds don’t try to fly, they fly. This is their intrinsic nature. The earth doesn’t try to spin on its own axis, is the nature of the earth to hurtle through space,” he says.
\nSimilarly, he says, it’s our human nature to realize\u00a0our dreams easily and effortlessly.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0believe in miracles<\/a><\/h2>\n

“What is commonly called a miracle is actually an expression of the law of least effort,” Chopra says.<\/strong>
\nA\u00a0quote\u00a0often misattributed to Goethe<\/a>\u00a0says:<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back \u2014 concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
\nthat the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one\u2019s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.
\nWhatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.“<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So it’s not simple shoulder-to-grindstone that gets us what we want. It’s working in harmony with the universe, which means we won’t have to try as hard.
\nHow do you get in sync with the universe? Love.<\/strong>
\nNature is held together by love, Chopra says, so when you’re motivated by love, that amplifies the energy you put into your goals.<\/p>\n

Seeking power drains your power<\/h2>\n

Instead of focusing on love, too often we seek power and control over other people.
\nChopra points out that our bodies can generate, store and expend energy, and the more efficient you are with your energy, the more energy you can put into\u00a0accomplishing your goals.
\nOur egos can lead us to try to control other people or to win their approval, which\u00a0wastes energy.<\/strong>
\n“When that energy is freed up, it can be rechanneled and used to create anything that you want,” Chopra says.
\nOne of my favorite bloggers, Christine Kane, wrote a piece years ago<\/a>\u00a0about the perils of explaining yourself to other people. It drains your energy, keeps you from trusting your gut and makes you play small.
\nChopra agrees it’s a waste of energy.
\n“If you observe people around you, you’ll see that they spend 99.9 percent of their time defending\u00a0their point of view.<\/strong> If you just relinquish the need to defend your point of view, in that relinquishment, you will have access to enormous amounts of energy that has been previously wasted,” he says.<\/p>\n

Balancing acceptance with responsibility to change<\/h2>\n

Chopra’s teachings require balance.
\nYou can have goals and focus intensely on achieving those goals \u2014 but you can’t get\u00a0attached to the results of pursuing those goals, according to the law of detachment<\/a>, which I’ll write about soon.
\nSimilarly, Chopra says we need to accept people and circumstances as they are AND take responsibility for your situation, including responsibility to transform circumstances in whatever way you desire.<\/strong>
\nIn\u00a0the\u00a0chapter on the law of karma<\/a>, Chopra says\u00a0everything that is happening in this moment is the result of the choices we\u2019ve made in the past. If we don’t like our circumstances, we need to take responsibility for what led us here and for fixing it.
\n“All problems contain the seeds of opportunity,” he says in the law of least effort.
\nAt the same time, “when you struggle against this moment, you’re actually struggling against the entire universe.”
\nHe suggests surrendering to the moment and being flexible. The alternative is fighting it, blaming others for what we object to, which will cause us to meet resistance. Once we’re fighting, we might try to force a solution, which makes the resistance grow.<\/p>\n

\"seven-spiritual-laws\"Applying the law of least effort<\/a><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Practice acceptance<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 accept people, situations, circumstances and events as they are, not as you wish they were.<\/li>\n
  2. Take responsibility for your\u00a0situation<\/strong> and for everything you see as problems \u2014 instead of blaming yourself or others, use this sense of responsibility to find ways to change the situation for the good.<\/li>\n
  3. Remain in a state of defenselessness<\/strong> \u2014 don’t defend your point of view\u00a0or try to convince others to accept your\u00a0point of view.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Past posts in this series:<\/strong><\/p>\n