A Pessimist's Guide to Manifesting 18: The Law of Least Effort

How do “I get out of my own way?”

Have you ever felt stuck? I mean, really, really stuck… in the dark, not moving (forward, backwards, or sideways), confused about what to do. In this moment of confusion, you may feel afraid to do the wrong thing because you might make the situation worse.

So rather than making a choice, you choose to be static and do nothing in the hopes that the situation will just pass.

I think we all know how that goes. Nothing changes except those negative feelings, reinforced by your awareness of your frustration, get stronger. (Yes, I am going to remind you of the RAS again.)

For many of my hypnotherapy and coaching clients, this is the moment of realization that brings them to me for help.

They’re stuck. They can see a better future, they can sense and feel their goal, but they just can’t seem to make it happen. The harder they try, the more it eludes them.

You may feel the same way. I know that in the past, I have.

We ask ourselves a lot of questions in this place: “Why is so much work not leading to results?” or “When will I get my break?” or “Why does nothing ever work out the way I want it to?”

You may have a few others to add to that list.

If you do, may I suggest that you DO NOT write them down? Instead, it’s time for you to forget them and leave them behind as you move forward, free of fear and clear on your desired outcome.

While working together through hypnotherapy, I help my clients to find their answers, align with their purpose, and discover the actions that will lead them beyond the wall they are facing.

So many times, the lessons uncovered in these sessions are things that the client already knew. They sensed what they should do, but created stories about why they should not, or could not, do it. When they connect with their subconscious, and moved away from the distracting buzz of the learned behavior of their egos, they found that they have access to all of the answers that they needed.

Now released from the limiting stories and faulty negative programming that kept them stuck, they are free, and typically excited, to begin taking action to move forward.

From this moment forward, we are going to focus on movement.

This is when we need to become aware of the Law of Least Effort.

This law states that when manifestation that is in alignment with universal law will happen simply and easily. When we are in balance with our purpose, and taking intentional action, things just seem to fall into place.

Another way to look at this law is by remembering the quote by Roman philosopher Seneca, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

How do you set your goals? Do you use the SMART Goals outline? It’s a fine template for clarifying your intended outcome, but when we’re too detailed, we actually block our flow.

Typically, these fine details come from our ego. They include things like: how much money you want to earn, the exact location of your office, or the specific person with whom you want to fall in love.

The ego shows us grand movies of how great these specific outcomes will be, and we get stuck in the film. When things do not happen in exactly the way our ego has presented them, we tend to feel like failures for not achieving our dreams.

When we operate from a broader vision, we see that the Universe will fill in the details. Maybe your high school or college crush married someone else… yet, when you stopped focusing on the loss of this person in your life, then you met someone else who better matched your picture of a happy, healthy relationship.

The Universe had your back all along, but you while you focused on the detail, you missed other opportunities It was presenting.

Once you learned the lesson, that your ideal outcome in alignment with universal law, was not “a relationship with X,” but instead “a happy, healthy relationship with a loving partner,” then the Law of Least Effort took over.

If you are struggling, ask yourself why. Where did you lose connection to the flow?

Are you feeling fear? Maybe your bank account is running low and you do not yet see a solution on the horizon; maybe you are in a relationship that is not fulfilling you, but you think this may be your last chance at love; or maybe you are concerned that you’ll never find another job that pays as well as the one you currently have… and hate.

When we’re in these moments of struggle, we do not see our larger world of endless possibilities that surrounds us. Our ego keeps us focused on the small distractions that keep us in our comfort zones.

We’re miserable, but at least it’s a familiar place. What’s outside of the walls of our comfort zone is unfamiliar. That means it’s scary to our ego, that is, in its own way, trying to protect us by keeping us in place.

When do we usually begin moving? It’s actually a very simple equation. We make choices based on fear and pain.

Comfort Zone dynamics.

When the fear/pain of going outside of our comfort zone is greater than staying in place, we’ll stay in place. When the fear/pain of staying in the current situation is greater than stepping out of our comfort zone, then we begin taking action to get moving.

I hear you: “That’s all fine and good, but what does it have to do with the Law of Least Effort? That all sounds like a lot of work.”

And you are right. Taking that path, based in fear, moving only when we’re prodded, wastes a lot of energy and time.

When we’re in alignment with the Law of Least Effort, things move more easily.

We become aware that our goal is available to us, but it may not happen at exactly the time we wish it to… AND THAT’S OK. When we’re operating in balance with this law, we know that our outcomes will be delivered to us by the Universe when the time is right.

In the meantime, we do what we need to do, what we can do, to prepare ourselves for its arrival, without focusing every day on the arrival of the goal.

That’s called “letting go of attachment to outcome.”

Let it be. It will happen. Trust the Universe. It is the energy of love and is the flow of abundance.

Don’t worry about your result – but do your diligence and work to be ready when it arrives.

Otherwise, what you’ll attract by worrying is more worry and less manifestation of your goal. Focusing your energy on the event not having yet occurred will delay its arrival.

Trust is important. Connect with your Higher Self and ask if your goal is in balance with your purpose in this life.

When we connect with our Higher Purpose, with our reason for being here in this life, on this planet, we can sense the flow of events in our lives.

Working within the framework of Least Resistance, we may see that each person we meet is part of a larger network. While Person A may not directly play a large role in our ultimate outcome, they may connect us to someone who will.

HOMEWORK

If you are feeling that you are struggling, step back from taking action temporarily.

Mediate and ask your Higher Self for information. Ask if you have been too specific, or not specific enough, in your request to the Universe.

What answers do you receive to this question? How can you adjust your point of view to see a broader perspective about your goal?

How can you let go of your attachment to the outcome and let things flow again?