Everyone has their flaws.
Mine is to be very good at overthinking about the simplest things possible like talking to every human being I encounter. Isn’t that stupid? Especially knowing that it doesn’t get you any further.
You only realize these things after they happened.
You feel so stupid if they happen, you imagine and overthink what you would have said but it doesn’t matter.
Laozi’s spiritual tradition focuses on harmony, peace, and simplicity and is perfect to live by if you’re like me: stressed and overthinking.
This article offers five essential pearls of wisdom from Laozi’s teachings to help you navigate the labyrinth of life and attain serenity.
1. Embrace Simplicity In Your Daily Life
I’m a writer, but I’m also a software engineer and a tech guy.
That means that finding simplicity is as easy as it’s difficult. The tech world is full of shiny and fancy gadgets. At the same time, the software has to be clean — interfaces can’t be full of fluff.
In my daily life, I need to reduce the amount of fluff.
Laozi championed a lifestyle of simplicity, advocating a less-is-more approach to life.
His teachings tell us that by simplifying our lives — be it our routines, possessions, or relationships — we can remove the clutter that often distracts us from achieving inner peace.
“Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires,” Laozi wrote in the Tao Te Ching.
2. Learn to be Patient & Keep Going
Life can be tough and failure is okay.
That also means you shouldn’t give up easily when life gets tough.
Patience and persistence are virtues that Laozi held in high regard. These traits help us stay committed to our journey toward inner peace, despite the inevitable hurdles and setbacks.
According to Laozi, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Mirroring nature’s patience and persistence in our lives can lead to fulfillment and tranquility.
In observing nature, we see trees growing patiently, flowers blooming in their own time, and rivers flowing at their steady pace.
Why can’t we do that?
Everything happens in its own time, and there is a season for every activity under heaven. It’s a powerful reminder that our hurriedness is often not a necessity imposed by life, but a product of our minds.
3. Cultivate Your Yin and Yang
Laozi believed in the coexistence and interplay of opposites.
That means balance is needed everywhere. Just like in your life, it often feels like it’s impossible for all aspects to be perfectly fine. There’s always something off.
Maybe it’s money in this period and happiness in the next one.
This concept implies that life’s contrasts are complementary and interconnected, rather than opposing forces. Understanding and accepting this balance in our own lives and in the world can foster a sense of peace.
“When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad.” — Laozi, Tao Te Ching
- Yin is associated with characteristics often considered feminine, such as darkness, passivity, and receptivity.
- Yang, on the other hand, is related to attributes typically viewed as masculine, like brightness, activity, and initiative.
By accepting and embracing the natural ebb and flow of life, as symbolized by yin and yang, we foster a sense of peace, equanimity, and completeness, providing us with a profound resource for navigating life’s challenges.
4. Look Into Your Own Soul
We’re too distanced from ourselves.
“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.”
Looking into your soul is not just about recognizing our thoughts and feelings, it’s about understanding our deepest desires, fears, strengths, weaknesses, and the unique experiences that shape who we are.
It’s about acknowledging our vulnerabilities, embracing our imperfections, and being honest with ourselves about our limitations and potential.
In the context of Laozi’s philosophy, introspection aligns us with the Tao.
When we deeply understand ourselves, we can live authentically, harmoniously, and spontaneously, which is the essence of living in accordance with the Tao.
Such alignment paves the way to inner peace, wisdom, and enlightenment.
You can do this by meditating every day. Then you’re forced to be alone and talk to your soul.
By routinely looking into our own souls, we can adapt, grow, and continue to nurture our inner peace in the face of life’s changes and challenges.
5. Stop Seeing Humility as a Weakness
Throughout Laozi’s work in the Tao Te Ching, the emphasis is on humility.
Humility, for Laozi, is not a sign of weakness but a profound strength. A quote that expresses this lesson is.
“The highest virtue is like water. Water benefits all things and does not compete with them. It dwells in the lowly places that all disdain, and thus it is close to the Tao.” — Laozi, Tao Te Ching
By embodying humility, we acknowledge that we are part of a larger whole and that every person and experience has something to teach us.
This recognition allows us to remain open, receptive, and continually willing to learn and grow. It also helps us to let go of the ego’s need for superiority and control, fostering harmony in our relationships and peace within ourselves.
Laozi teaches that adopting humility, like water, is a path to align ourselves with the Tao and cultivate a deep sense of inner peace