You Can Do Nothing
by Dr. Sylvia Wilson
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In our society, we are constantly bombarded with messages that tell us we need to work hard to achieve success. We are told that we need to get a good education, get a good job, and work long, grueling hours if we want to be successful. But what if I told you that the secret to success is actually—doing nothing?
That's right, I said it. The secret to success is doing nothing! Or, more specifically, it's doing the things that come naturally to you and that you enjoy doing. When you do the things that you are passionate about, that naturally flow from you, and that bring you joy, you will find that you don't have to work hard. In fact, I believe that our greatest successes will be found when what we are doing feels like we are doing nothing.
Many people experience burnout because of the ingrained belief that hard work is the only path to success. This notion is deeply embedded in our society, reinforced through cultural narratives, educational systems, and professional environments. From a young age, we are conditioned to equate self-worth with productivity, leading us to prioritize relentless effort over our personal well-being.
As a result, we find ourselves in a constant state of striving, pushing ourselves to the brink of exhaustion to achieve external validation. The relentless pursuit of productivity takes a toll on our physical and mental health—leading to burnout, decreased creativity, and impaired decision-making abilities.
This “hustle hard” culture often disregards the importance of taking breaks, nurturing our passions, and simply allowing ourselves to Be. It causes us to become disconnected from our innate desires, gifts, and abilities, prioritizing external measures of success over our own inner fulfillment. Burnout becomes inevitable when we neglect our holistic well-being in the pursuit of productivity.
When we only consider our education, work experience, and skills to shape our goals and visions for the future, we limit ourselves from achieving our fullest potential. Those things are meant to inform our dreams and calling—not determine them. We are not just our jobs, our degrees, or our skills. We are also our passions, our creativity, and our joys!
What we are truly called to do is often found in the things that:
- naturally flow from us wherever we go
- we enjoy so much we can spend hours doing them and lose track of time
- make us feel joyful and energized
- help us feel fulfilled
When we do those things, we are not only happier and more gratified—but we also tend to be more productive! We are naturally more focused, motivated, innovative, and creative when we are doing things that innately emerge from our BEing.
And when all you have to do is BE…then, the magic of our calling simply flows from us.
We don't have to do anything.
We can do nothing!