Backwards Law Revisited

The only way to get what you want is not to want it. That’s the Backwards Law.

I first wrote about this in March 2021, in the middle of the pandemic. Back then, I spoke of how I learned to swim only after I stopped thrashing in fear, but I also reflected on how this paradox shows up in other corners of life — chasing peace, happiness, or wealth often pushes them further away.

Four years on, I see the Backwards Law even more clearly. In business, the harder we push for closure, the more deals slip. When we stop obsessing over the outcome and focus instead on showing up fully in each conversation, things move. In life, the harder we try to silence a restless mind, the louder it gets. But when we let the thoughts run their course, peace sneaks back in.

Trying too hard to achieve a positive outcome or feeling often produces the opposite result, making your desired outcome even more elusive……..Stop forcing it. That’s the key.