My Best Self 101 Blog
Wu Wei isn't about giving up on life, being lazy, or waiting for things to start going your way. It doesn't advocate for inaction, but rather for proper action. We often try too hard to force external events to work out the way we want them to, which leaves us feeling angry, frustrated, anxious, afraid, or disappointed. Wu Wei is a response to that over-action.
Don’t forsake your nostalgic memories. Don’t avoid places or things that are associated with strong nostalgia. Just because the rose-tinted memories you hold may be romanticized (and not always fully accurate) doesn’t mean that those memories are any less important than things that bring you joy today!
When this relationship unexpectedly came to an end, I thought I would certainly be totally and utterly alone after neglecting and even chipping away at some very dear relationships. However, in my moment of distress, stalwart friends came to my rescue and carried me through my difficult times. I now want to be that same kind of friend in return.
Innate intelligence and talent can’t be sole predictors of success because skill-building effort is required—which is great news! You can’t change your genetics, but you do have power over the effort you put into learning and accomplishing. Being successful and achieving your potential in life requires the exertion of your own will and energy.
Have you ever gotten really worked up about something - something that made you super nervous or anxious, or super angry - and someone told you to “just breathe”? If you’re like me, that just may have made you even more nervous or frustrated in the moment. It’s not like you weren’t breathing already, right? How was that going to help? Well, let’s talk about why “just breathe” is actually some really good advice.
I remember riding the train that afternoon. I had only been awake for a few hours and was still in a shocked daze. I remember staring out the train window, feeling an absolute emptiness. In a moment I will never forget, I realized that no one on the train knew what I was feeling. No one knew my father had passed away that morning.
