Do you ever feel like you're trying to force a square peg into a round hole? In our relentless pursuit of goals, we often adopt a mindset of "forcing" things to happen. We grind, we hustle, we try to control every variable, believing that sheer effort is the only path to success. But this constant struggle often leads to a state of internal "dis-ease"—a term used by the late Bob Proctor to describe a body and mind that are not at ease. This is the fast track to stress, anxiety, and burnout. What if there was a more powerful, more effective way? What if you could achieve more by letting go and simply allowing life to unfold?

Living in a constant state of force is exhausting. It's the feeling of waking up and having to compel yourself to go to a job that drains your soul, leaving you with stress headaches and a sense of dread. It’s the pressure of trying to force a relationship or a business opportunity to fit a timeline that isn't its own. As we discussed on the Rich Mind Podcast, this way of life has a steep price. Forcing outcomes can cause you to miss out on precious memories with your family because you’re always working, or create so much internal resistance that you block the very creativity you need to solve your problems. The hustle culture tells us this is the only way, but this constant battle against the current is a recipe for an unfulfilling life.

The alternative to forcing is not inaction; it's entering a state of flow. Flow is a state of calm, relaxed, and aligned action. It's the feeling you get when you're fully engaged in something you love, and progress feels effortless. Think about it: have your best ideas ever come when you were desperately trying to brainstorm? Or did they surface when you were relaxed, on a walk, or in the shower? That is the magic of allowing. When you release your white-knuckled grip on a specific outcome and trust the process, you create the mental space for better solutions, synchronicities, and opportunities to appear. It's about taking intentional action while remaining unattached to the result, allowing the path to reveal itself one step at a time.

Shifting from forcing to allowing is a practice. It's a muscle you can build starting today. Here are three actionable steps you can take to begin trading stress for flow.