Counterintuitive

It’s not easy to make sense of life, especially because some things are counterintuitive. Like when trying to find something for a while only to find it after you stop looking for it. Like trying to remember something for days, only to remember when is no longer relevant.

It seems like the more you try something, the more difficult it is to achieve it. But how can that be, when achieving something implies that you try until you succeed? Be clear on this, you have to do the work. But at the same time, you need to see things as a whole, and for this, you’ll need to stop what you’re doing and take a few steps back.

When you’re doing something important right now, it makes you unaware of everything else that happens in your life. So, stopping for a moment allows you to regain some of that awareness.

The solutions you are looking for are not always in the direction you are looking in, no matter how much it already cost you. To notice that, you’ll have to take those steps back, and then find the courage to look elsewhere for solutions.

You try to do everything to the best of your abilities, but sometimes that means something else than you’ve been led to believe. There is no need to always be working quickly to be productive. Sometimes, working at a comfortable rhythm means that your mind is clearer, you’ll find better solutions, and in the end, you’ll make more progress.

You’re allowed to stop for a moment and rest. Take this time to see and appreciate what you have in your life. It is a good thing to cherish the results of your work, otherwise, why did you work so hard?

Not every minute has to be productive, even if you live in a world that makes it easy to feel bad if you don’t organize every moment of your life. Being organized is a good thing, but your mind needs space for creativity, and creativity happens when there’s nothing you have to do.

Yes, you should plan for the future, but the purpose of a plan is to provide guidance when things get confusing. It is not meant to be a detailed map of your future. The work that you do is supposed to take you somewhere.

Even if it’s a good thing to enjoy and be involved in the work you do, you still need a reason to do it. It doesn’t have to be something great. It just needs to be something that is important to you.

Even if it seems counterintuitive, stopping from working can be a tool to be more productive. This is true because you need rest, and rest is where solutions are found. Also, to do your best work you need to be at your best, and you can’t be at your best if you keep overworking yourself.

So, stop from time to time. Slowing down might take you to the intended destination a lot faster than you can imagine.