Picture a kid in the playground sprinting.
Now, picture an adult on a track sprinting.

They have the same goal: run as fast as one can. They both end the run with burning legs, short breath, red cheeks, yet their facial expression along the run are completely different.

The kid’s facial expression is the best way I can describe effortless effort.

My question for you today

Are you moving towards your goal with ease, or are you suffering through the experience?

Effortless Effort: a tiny mindset shift that can make your day (and life) much easier

What is it?

The art of moving through difficulty, challenges, or just life with some sort of ease and relaxed mind.

Why it matters

We were told from a very young age we should work hard, that’s how we get results, it’s also how we get recognition, especially from ourselves.

Think about it. You feel better about yourself if you get results through suffering than if you get results effortlessly. When it comes effortlessly, it feels like you cheated, or you’re not deserving. Which leads to… drum rolls… Imposter syndrome. 

So, why do we make our own life harder?

As we grew up, we’ve confused the value of overcoming challenges (doing the difficult things) with doing things with difficulty (the hard way).

I don’t want to get into semantics here (I’m not native), so here’s the bulk of it:

Something can be difficult but does not have to be hard. You can make a strong effort, in pain (the hard way) or with ease (effortless effort).

Oftentimes our minds choose the hard way, as it seems more rewarding.

The good news: once you’re aware you can nurture effortless effort.

Some things are effortless by nature (it’s your gift), other requires practice. Either way, leverage it.

• ‘Gift’ - there are things we’re just better at. A lot of people open up to me easily, I build rapport effortlessly, that’s what led me (and many coaches I know) to coach. Find out what you’re effortless at and use it.

• Forgotten Practice - A client of mine does a lot of public speaking. If you ask her about it, she’ll say it’s pretty natural. It wasn’t when we started working together, she simply practiced it so much, it became second nature, effortless. The kid runs every day in the playground, we adults don’t. Practice.

• Mindset and joy - that kid you pictured sprinting, he’s flying, he’s going places, he’s having so much fun. His mind is not focused on the difficulty, it’s focused on pleasure and sensations.

How do you shift to an effortless mindset?

It's subtle. Do not dismiss how difficult a task or situation is. Differentiate the task from the energy you put into it. Sprinting is a difficult task, how you approach sprinting does not have to be hard.

Evaluate when you’re making things harder. (A real-life example: have you noticed how often a yoga teacher reminds everyone to breathe?)

Redirect the focus, from the pain to the fun. If you're suffering through an experience, you're sending a message to your brain that it's bad. You're making it even more difficult for yourself. When you tell yourself it's effortless and fun, you give your brain an extra motivator.

One nudge for you

Be like the kid. Next week, try to infuse ease and effortless energy in everything difficult you do.

Start by observing others

It’s usually easier to spot things in others, no?

• Who’s doing things effortlessly?

• Who’s making their life unnecessarily harder by imposing a difficult experience, on top of overcoming challenge?

Then get curious about yourself

Set the intention to observe when you make things harder than they are. Observe when you are tensed in the effort (the work version of when you stop breathing in the middle of a workout).

As always, be curious, and kind to yourself, the same you would with a kid.

Ask yourself: how can I make it effortless?

I appreciate you for reading.

See you next Friday,

Orianne

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