The Backwards Law: Stop Trying And You'll Get Anything You Desire

wanting positive experience is a negative experience accepting negative experience is a positive experience imagine that you have set yourself a goal to become a successful entrepreneur you commit to putting in a significant amount of effort to achieve it however this commitment also means that being far from your goal will cause you to experience negative emotions as you will be acutely aware of the gap between where you are and where you want to be this Gap can have a significant impact on your well-being and self-esteem this correlates to the wisdom of epicurus in that if you

wish to be rich do not add to your money but subtract from your desire the backwards law is based on the idea that the more you strive for something the the more you'll experience negative outcomes or feel worse than you did before it seems to contradict the advice we've been given throughout our lives which is that hard work and effort lead to Greater success and happiness however the backwards law suggests that there is a limit to how much effort we should put into achieving a goal and that sometimes we need to take a step back

and let things unfold naturally it's all about balance and recognizing when too much striving can be counterproductive Alan Wilson watts an English writer Theologian and speaker is recognized for his extensive contributions in propagating the tenets of Eastern philosophies including Buddhism taism and advit vanta to the Western World his Works Have Been instrumental in Bridging the Gap between the eastern and western philosophical traditions and have been widely appreciated for their insightful and thought-provoking nature one of Watts's most notable observations is indeed the backwards law although the backwards law comes directly from taing or Zen Buddhism what

takes credit for spreading its principles to the Western audience Allan simplified it as the more you try and grab a hold of something the more it slips through your fingers this law applies to tapping into the energy flow of our efforts and focus when we stop trying we'll get what we want the idea of the backwards law reminds us to think Beyond superficial goals and consider what we really want out of life and why we want it it encourages us to seek deeper meaning and fulfillment rather than simply pursuing worldly achievements what states we don't

know what we truly want because we cannot Define it thus the backwards law doesn't tell us us what we should focus less upon but instead instructs us to direct our energy to what we truly desire it pushes us to dissect our goals and desires until we reach an understanding of what makes us want them the principle of the backwards law is a concept that can Aid Us in delving deeper into our desires and motivations it emphasizes the importance of turning our attention inwards and critically examining our innermost desires to gain a better understanding of our

true needs this principle encourages us to question why we want something what we expect to gain from it and whether it aligns with our core values and beliefs by doing so we can identify any discrepancies between our surface level desires and our deeper needs which can help us make more informed decisions and lead a more fulfilling life firstly The Pursuit of Happiness through through constant seeking can be counterproductive it challenges the common belief that happiness is attainable only through the achievement of specific goals in fact this Perpetual seeking can lead to lower levels of happiness

compared to a state of Simply letting go and experiencing happiness without any particular motive secondly anxiety is primarily triggered by our attempts to exert control over our surroundings this tendency often leads to a disregard for the limitations of our control and we tend to impose our will on our emotions and external environment this approach only serves to heighten our anxiety however by relinquishing control we can cultivate self-acceptance and move closer towards attaining Peace of Mind thirdly wealth is deprived when you remind yourself that you want to be rich the more you try to be wealthy

the poorer you will feel regardless of how much money you actually have true wealth is a mental state finally when we shift our Focus from chasing love to self-discovery we create a conducive environment for love to flow towards us knowing ourselves and our core values helps us identify the specific type of Love That best aligns with our needs and desires Arthur schopenhauer a German philosopher argued that the human tendency to seek more in order to satisfy their desires while simultaneously perpetuating those desires is irrational schopenhauer believed that humans like all other entities in the universe

are embodiments of the will to live or the will as a result we desire things because of our innate will to live which compels us to pursue satisfaction through various means in the philosophical view of schopenhauer the concept of the will is a powerful driving force that is irrational aimless and NeverEnding this unfettered striving is the cause of all human suffering and it cannot be alleviated by the pleasures of the world according to schopenhauer we are all plagued by a pathological desire for more than we need which is fueled by an unrelenting sense of scarcity

this desire is insatiable and can never be fully satisfied leading to a life of Perpetual dissatisfaction and restlessness schopenhauer believed that the only way to escape this cycle of suffering is to detach oneself from the will which he considered to be the ultimate goal of human existence the human mind perceives a sense of lack when it believes that the present moment is inadequate or incomplete this feeling of inadequacy causes individuals to seek comfort in circumstances that they believe will provide greater pleasure how however upon reaching these situations individuals often find themselves in the same state

of dissatisfaction that they were trying to escape according to schopenhauer thus also every Keen pleasure is an error and an illusion for no attained wish can give lasting satisfaction to effectively utilize the backwards law we can sometimes resort to affirmations however it's important to note that if the affirmation is not in alignment with your current beliefs it may not be effective for instance repeatedly affirming I'm a millionaire I'm a millionaire I'm a millionaire would be futile if you don't actually believe that you're a millionaire your conscious mind will resist this new belief and it won't

penetrate your subconscious thus failing to bring about the desired outcome the key to achieving millionaire level success is to shift your focus away from the monetary outcome and instead concentrate on the process that leads to such success rather than fixating on the end goal it is important to consistently align your actions with the goal and approach each step along the way as a means to achieving it for instance if your goal is to attract more clients to your business every new website click potential client call or query from a potential client should be considered a

step towards achieving that goal focusing on these small successes helps to condition your subconscious mind for growth and abundance rather than a fixed mindset of scarcity the effective alignment of desire and Imagination is crucial for achieving optimal results often excessive Focus solely on the desire can impede progress intense fixation on a future destination may lead to neglecting the use of imagination in visualizing the process required to reach that goal in instances where there is a desire for something missing from one's life a challenge arises in believing that such aspirations are attainable through imagination distinguishing between

wanting and genuinely believing in the possibility of achieving a goal is Paramount to Leverage The Law of reversed effort successfully both desire and Imagination must be harmoniously synchronized while diligent effort and perseverance in pursuing one's desires are commendable the lack of belief or an inability to Envision oneself accomplishing the desired outcome May impede success in essence for a positive outcome it is imperative that one can Envision and believe in the feasibility of their goals we must look into our subconscious mind Napoleon Hill wisely said your subconscious mind works continuously while you are awake and while

you sleep in his book The Power of the subconscious mind Joseph Murphy provides an illustration involving walking along a plank of wood placed on the ground this task is generally easy for the majority of people as there are no consequences to losing balance on the plank in this scenario the desire to walk along the plank aligns SE seamlessly with the imagination which believes in the capability and envisions the process of successfully walking the plank consequently the task is completed effortlessly now consider the same plank of wood elevated 20 ft in the air between two walls

the introduction of an element of consequence adds complexity to the task while the desire to walk along the plank May persist the imagination may now visualize the the potential of falling off and sustaining an injury in such a situation challenges may arise because the conscious desire to perform an action contrasts with the imagination and visualization that shape the belief and self-image residing in the subconscious mind responsible for 95% of our thoughts and actions we must be present as emphasized by Buddha do not dwell in the past do not dream of the future concentrate the mind

on the present moment anticipatory anxiety is a type of anxiety that occurs when we Face situations that are unfamiliar uncertain or we are unsure how to handle them leading to stress and worry about the future it is a common experience among many of us and it can be challenging to manage the anxiety May manifest as physical symptoms such such as sweating shaking or increased heart rate it may also lead to negative thoughts such as fear doubt or insecurity that can further exacerbate the anxiety managing anticipatory anxiety often requires relinquishing conscious control which can be a

daunting task however with the right strategies such as mindfulness cognitive behavioral therapy or relaxation techniques it is possible to overcome anticipatory anxiety and improve our overall mental well-being to achieve a better balance between conscious and subconscious decision-making it's helpful to reframe our perspective rather than viewing challenges and obstacles as threats we should see them as opportunities for personal growth and learning this shift in mindset allows us to cultivate the optimal conditions for intuitive and subconscious processes to guide our actions over time we can train ourselves to make these decisions subconsciously leading to a more natural

and intuitive decisionmaking process let's take driving as an example learning how to drive is often a difficult if not nerve-wracking task there's a lot to absorb and even more to practice but our brains get used to the Motions of driving after some time and as soon as we get the hang of how to drive we start to do it subconsciously that's why many people can talk sing or multitask in different ways while driving but you should still be focused on the road whenever you're behind the wheel but I digress the same thing can happen with

letting ourselves fall into something called The Flow State the flow state is when our actions happen effortlessly as though our body was on autopilot just like how musicians become one with the the music as they play an instrument or dancers become one with their dance moves this state often applies to high- performing individuals who spend a lot of mental and physical practice in their daily life some examples of this include painters chess players and professional climbers when we exert too much conscious effort we might disrupt this balance and hinder our ability to enter the Flow

State this is due to the fact that overthinking can create mental roadblocks leading us to second guess our actions or become overly self-critical essentially being in our own head too much can disrupt the natural instinctive process that facilitates flow therefore relinquishing excessive conscious control becomes a vital step to entering the flow state where conscious intent guides our actions without interfering with the automatic intuitive processes that enable us to perform at our best I shall leave you with senica's wisdom of true happiness is to enjoy the present without anxious dependence upon the future just remember the

more you try to cling to something the more it will slip away from you when we learn to let go and stop obsessing about having control over every facet of Our Lives we can start being fully present at the moment we get more time to focus on the things that are right in front of us our quality time with our loved ones improves and our bodies and Minds feel more rested and focused when we learn to live fully in the present we can become more mindful of our thoughts actions and surroundings this heightened awareness allows

us to better understand our strengths and weaknesses and identify areas where we can improve ourselves with this newfound self-awareness we can then focus on setting and achieving our goals making sure that the choices we make and the actions we take align with our vision for the future by staying present and intentional in our daily lives we can create a fulfilling and purposeful existence for ourselves one step at a time