“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ~Lao Tzu
My desire and journey to promote healthy living did not happen over night. It took me some years to figure out my life’s true purpose, and this only came with experience and time. I went through many years of introspection, along with trials and tribulations, to truly find my passion. My sister Sun’s death due to cancer was the first wake-up call and catalyst to seek out healthy living for the mind, body and soul, and, thereafter, my desire and search for my own spiritual path delivered me to my true calling. In retrospect, I know the Universe was preparing me for this moment when I would be ready and mature to take on this new and important chapter of my life.
Living in the rush of our modern world, many of us feel like we’re in a race — a rat race. We feel the tremendous pressure and stress to “succeed” by society’s standards so we don’t feel or look like a failure. I discovered, in my own journey, that if I’m not moving at my own pace, I will surely fail at life because I am not in sync with myself. As every season — fall, winter, spring and summer — comes to natural fruition in its own time, so are the phases in the arc of our lives. Each of us must find our own flow in which we operate optimally.
If you prescribe the same medicine for different people, it may not work on everyone. As unique individuals, we can not be prescribed the same pace at which we can journey through life to realize happiness. I notice that when I drive my car just at the right speed of 60 MPH — not too fast or not too slow — that I am conserving the most amount of gas and, therefore, optimizing my car mileage, so when you drive your life at just the right speed, you are maximizing the potential of your life, in which opportunities present themselves at the perfect time.
When you don’t move through life at your own pace, you risk burning out and never reaching the purpose you were born to fulfill. Like a marathon runner, who must pace himself, if you go too fast, you might exhaust yourself and never cross the finish line, but if you go too slow, you will never have a chance at winning the race. Over the years, I realized that I would never be happy if I ran the marathon at someone else’s pace — it just doesn’t work. As individuals, we each have our talents and weaknesses, and so we when we find the right pace for ourselves, we are swimming with the current, not against it. By swimming with the current, you are in flow with the Universe, so you are accomplishing exactly what you are meant to do at the right time.
In order to find and live your own flow, you must not compare yourself to others, as this will surely deviate you from your true path and calling. If you’re too busy comparing yourself and envying others, you’re probably too busy trying to copy them, so you will never have time to explore your own interests and passions. All your energies should be focused on nurturing your inner self, so you can find your true purpose. So comparing yourself to others derails you from living in your own flow.
It is also important to not be caught up in the frenzy of life, where you’re always feeling stressed and anxiety ridden because you feel you’ve lost control. Surrender and accept what you can not control, which is almost everything in life. A wonderful way to accept and surrender is to live in the now — which is the only moment we’ll ever have. To be mindful of the present moment, you are not thinking about the past or future, so there is no baggage in your thoughts, which is the cause of all our stress. If you make your mind slave to the hectic nature of life, then you are preventing it from being calm and still, which is the only state in which you can think clearly and make sound decisions. So, while we are all living in a hectic world, we must find time to calm our minds and soul in order to find the right pace.
Whenever I witness nature’s pace, such as the ebb and flow of the tides guided by the gravity of the moon, I am in awe of its perfection. As nature does not hurry yet everything is accomplished, you do not need to hurry yet everything in your life is fulfilled. So discover the right flow for yourself, and you will experience perfect harmony in your life.
By Moon Cho, Creator of Ying & Yang Living
