Stop Hustling And Start Trusting

I am re-sharing a post, Know The Backwards Law, published in March 2021.

This post revisits the “Backwards Law,” introduced by philosopher Alan Watts, which suggests, “The more you try, the further away you are.”

We all encounter the Backwards Law in many situations in our lives. For example,

• In swimming, the more you thrash around to stay afloat, the more you sink.

• In relationships, the more you chase after someone, the more distant they become because they feel repelled by your neediness.

• The more you stress and think about making money, the more difficulties you encounter in growing wealth.

Now, let me connect the idea of backward law with confidence.

The word confidence is derived from the Latin root word confidere, which means “to have full trust”—full trust in your abilities. When you are really confident, you start letting go of the need to control things.

Therefore, here’s a paradoxical idea for you to consider.

The secret to more confidence: Stop hustling and start trusting. Trust yourself and do your work while letting go of your attachment to the outcomes. This is the true essence of being confident.

When you let go of the attachment, what you let go of will come back to you.