Effortless Action Nothing in the world is more yielding and gentle than water. At the same time, nothing is more powerful than water. Water has no equal in conquering, overcoming, or wearing down resistance. When a stream meets an obstacle in its path, it doesn’t fight, struggle or even contemplate. It basically gives it no attention. It simply flows around it. The stream does this without strain or concern. In fact, it sings as it flows past the obstacle. Water provides a perfect example of effortless action. You can learn from this metaphor daily. As you face the challenges in your life, think about water. Consistent wearing away at an obstacle wins out, as does changing course. And, in the mean time, don’t forget to sing your song. For instance, if you are traveling to Texas and run into a detour, you can cancel your trip or find another route or mode of transportation. If you are driving, you can fly. If one highway is closed, there are other roads and thoroughfares that will get you there. Furthermore, reassessing your options can be accomplished without losing your cool. In fact, you can enjoy the entire maneuver. There is a story that further explains effortless action. It is about a horse that was tied outside a shop in a narrow Chinese village street. Whenever anyone tried to walk past, the horse would kick him. After a while a crowd of people gathered and began debating how best to get by the hazardous horse. Soon, someone came running announcing, “The Old Master is coming! He’ll know what to do!” The crowd waited anxiously. As the Old Master turned the corner, he saw the horse, and immediately spun around to walk down another street. The Old Master had learned the lesson of water and moved with effortless ease. How can you use this principle of effortless ease in your life? What are the obstacles you need to flow around?

Doing the Seemingly Impossible... When you set a thought into motion, the forces of the Universe take over to guide that thought to the right resources to create the outcome you desire. One of the things we have to do to cooperate with this process is to listen to our intuition because that is where our answers will emanate. The Wright brothers serve an example of listening with the heart (intuition) and following the guidance diligently. They did this in their quest to create a flying machine. Wilbur and Orville Wright were two American inventors, and aviation pioneers who are credited with inventing and building the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight machine on December 17, 1903. Neither let their lack of formal education (Orville had 3 years of high school and Wilbur had four years) interfere with their dream of developing a flying machine. After having worked for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery, their mechanical engineering skills were honed. Working on bicycles particularly influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice. They conducted numerous experiments and trials over years before they realized victory. Through that time, they never let the idea that they were simple bicycle mechanics interfere with their vision of flight or their determination. As a result, they lived to see airplanes flying all over the world. It was their development of aerodynamic controls that made it all possible. When the mind is open and willing, amazing innovations are born. Thus the question, what has your intuition been saying to you? In what way are you being asked to step out of the box and be inventive? We were all designed for greatness!