You may have observed some artists performing at a very high level: Zidane (or name your sports idol) playing football at his peak or a classical music virtuoso performing in front of a packed concert venue. How does the performance feel? It feels effortless and brilliant. It feels, let’s dare say, divine. The amount of effort that these artists put in before the performance is colossal yet it feels effortless. With these extreme - but not so unusual - examples in mind, let’s first explain what effortless being is not. It is not sitting on the couch all day doing nothing. It is not ‘not giving a $hit’ about work or life in general. Finally, It does not mean not putting in any effort towards your goals and career. In fact it is the complete opposite…

Resistance in the context of ‘allo blah blah’

In order to better understand the concept of effortless being, understanding resistance patterns you may have towards your job can help. We have noticed that many employees (including us in our past roles) are in a state of mild to severe resistance towards their jobs. This can be an overall resistance to the job manifesting for example as severe sunday evening blues or even during holidays (by not wanting to come back and facing anxiety at the idea of coming back). In essence it is a feeling of ‘I’d rather be doing anything else’ than this job. It can also be recurring resistance to specific tasks or projects, such as a powerpoint presentation that we think is not necessary or a poorly scoped project that we have to execute. Lastly it can take the form of resistance towards your boss or certain co-workers: any email you get from them or phone call or even comment can trigger you and affect your wellbeing at work. This resistance state can feel like you are driving on the wrong path and in addition to that you are slowed down by the resistance forces described above (cf exhibit A below).

Flow state

At the opposite end of the spectrum, you have what is commonly called “flow state”. You may even experience it in the context of allo blah blah jobs but it is sadly quite rare. It is that state when you are ‘in the zone’, when you do not see time passing, when you are inspired and creative, when resistance forces are either inexistent or forgotten for a period of time while you are in that flow state. This concept is easier understood and accessible when pursuing a passion (like sports) or a dream (building a company that is changing the world). You have that feeling that you are on the right path, that you ‘will get there’ and therefore you are pushed by positive energy to reach your goals, which crushes any difficulties you may face (cf exhibit B below).

Effortless being

If you are in a job where ‘allo blah blah’ is quite dominant, you have two options to embody effortless being. The first one is to try to maximise the flow state, when efforts become easier. This can be done by maximising time in the tasks that you truly enjoy doing, such as a specific project or certain activities such as coaching staff. This will reduce your resistance to your work and make your day to day life more enjoyable. If you do not have that luxury, and we are conscious many do not have it, then it is a matter of attitude when you are doing the job. You can either have full acceptance of your reality (including for example a toxic boss/colleague) or add resistance/negative commentary to that (e.g. how did I end up in this role, this boss is making my life so miserable etc etc.). While your boss may truly be toxic, beating yourself up for it will not help you move forward, in fact it will consume you even more and may make you even more miserable. You can reclaim that energy and channel it into more productive activities…such as re-doing your CV and applying for more fulfilling jobs with a better boss. You can also work on your energy levels by prioritizing your health (both physical and mental - cf articles on how to remain sane and healthy while doing allo blah blah jobs). By doing this work, you set yourself up for better opportunities and you start attracting the right roles/colleagues, through what is commonly known as the law of attraction ( Cf. Bob Proector's explanation here). In essence effortless being in the context of allo blah blah involves not adding unnecessary suffering or commentary to a situation that may be already challenging. We show you in the book many more techniques to both cope with these challenging situations and more importantly break free from them and reach your full potential, effortlessly :)

Nabil