Writing and The Art of Not Trying – Wu Wei

When I understood this concept writing became so much easier!

There is a fascinating philosophy from Taoism that I have implemented when I am writing that has resulted in so much clarity and peace of mind.

The concept is Wu Wei.

What is Wu Wei?

Taoism is an ancient Chinese philosophy that emphasizes the importance of being a part of the flow of the universe, what Taoists refer to as the Tao (pronounced Dow). The Tao Te Ching depicts the teachings of the Tao, as a sort of beginner’s manual to Taoism, written by a fella called Lao Tzu.

Wu Wei is an interesting concept in Taoism, roughly translated to ‘Not Forcing.’ Wu Wei is the means by which the ancient Toaists live their everyday life, by being a part of the flow of things and not forcing anything into being.

The most interesting application of this theory is that the more you chase something the less you will have of it. Initially, this idea makes no sense, but let me explain it to you.

Lao Tzu explains Wu Wei the best in the Tao Te Ching;

The Man of Superior Virtue is not concious of his virtue, and in this way he really possesses virtue.
The man of inferior virtue never loses sight of his virtue, and in this way he loses his virtue.

-Lao Tzu

This means that the more you concentrate on what you don’t have the fact that you don’t have the thing is compounded whereas, if you are not conscious of the thing you want you in fact really possess the thing.

How Does Wu Wei Help My Writing?

The teachings of the Tao Te Ching are so valuable for writers who have a goal in mind for their writing. Such as wanting to be famous, or write a best-selling novel, or writing an amazing movie.

Wu Wei teaches that although it is important to have a direction in mind, we should not be all-encompassed by this goal.

So, to truly attain what you want from life you must not force it into being but rather go about you’re daily life writing because you enjoy it, and if you do what you love day after day, doing something that you don’t force on yourself evidently you will achieve your goals by not relentlessly wishing them into being.

How Can I Use This Concept With My Writing?

The way I think about the theory is that writing should be a thing you love doing, not something that you force yourself to do every day, because if you force yourself to write the more it becomes apparent that you are not as good of a writer as you would hope to be.

I implement this theory through 2 simple steps;

1. Get clear on the goals that you want to hit with your writing
2. Consider the daily habits that someone who had achieved that goal would do and do them every day with enjoyment.

In this way, you will be able to achieve your writing goals through the art of not forcing, Wu Wei.

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Thanks for reading this post if you liked it check out this one about how to focus when you’re writing;

3 Simple Steps to Laser Focus When Writing

Happy writing 🙂

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