Succeeding Without Trying

<p>We spend a lot of time on How God Works talking about how spirituality can offer tools to become better versions of ourselves.  And while learning to be happier, healthier and more resilient are all positive things to strive for, they can also lead us down a different path - an obsession with productivity and self-optimization… which can lead to a culture of trying to grind or life-hack our way through everything.</p><p>But what if the secret to success lies in doing less, not more? On this episode, we’ll explore the Chinese concept of <em>wu wei</em>, effortless action. We'll talk to Edward Slingerland about how modern cognitive science has proven many early Chinese thinkers right, why <em>wu wei </em>is still relevant today, and how learning how <em>not</em> to try can help us forge a different path toward the good life.</p><p><br /></p><p>Edward Slingerland is a professor of religion at the University of British Columbia and the author of <em>Trying Not To Try: Ancient China, Modern Science and the Power of Spontaneity</em>. Find out more about his work, and his other books, on his <a href="https://www.edwardslingerland.com/"><strong>website</strong></a>.</p><p>Other texts we’ve discussed during this episode include: </p><p><em>-Flow</em>, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi</p><p><em>-Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals</em>, by Immanuel Kant</p><p>-The <em>Analects</em> or <em>Sayings of Confucius</em>, attributed to Confucius</p><p>-The <em>Tao Te Ching</em> or <em>Laozi</em>, attributed to Laozi</p><p>-The <em>Mencius</em>, attributed to Mencius</p>