Could This Question Change Your Life?

Tim Ferriss has one 9-word question that he credits with changing his life.

"What would this look like if it were easy?"

It's a beautiful question. It's elegantly simple.

I could probably stop there and leave you with that question.

Except easy doesn't sit well in my body.

Easy sounds boring to me. Maybe it's my perfectionist wounds speaking, but easy doesn't inspire me. Easy has too many negative connotations for me. I want to be able to do hard things. How can easy be worthwhile? How do I learn and grow if it's easy all the time?

I'm going to tweak Tim's question.

"What would this look like if I was at ease?"

What if, in the face of life's challenges, I chose a path of ease and grace? What if I relaxed in response to difficulty, rather than tensing up? What if I stopped making it so complicated and instead focused on elegancy simplicity?

Being at ease doesn't mean not applying effort.

One of my favourite concepts in yoga is the idea of finding both effort AND ease in the posture:

स्थिरसुखमासनम् ॥४६॥ sthira-sukham-āsanam ||46|| One’s connection to the earth (asana) is steady (sthira) and joyful (sukham).

I particularly love this translation. I love the idea that ease and joy could be synonymous. That effort and steadiness might be the same thing.

Life is often more than complex enough. And I can make it so much harder and more complicated for myself in the misguided belief that just trying harder is the answer. I'm finally learning that it doesn't get me anywhere other than stressed, disconnected, and uninspired.

"What would this look like if I was at ease?"

What would it look like if I stopped fighting myself? If I stopped beating myself and getting in my own way? How would it be to choose the simple, clear, or smooth approach? Could I be steady and find joy in this moment?

There are days when being at ease feels so far out of reach, it might as well be on the far side of the moon. This is why I love the 1% idea.

1% more is the epitome of finding a way to be more at ease with something. 1% is completely do-able. I don't have to find a way to suddenly be completely laid back. I could make a tiny change like relaxing my shoulders or my jaw. I could sit in a slightly more comfortable way. I could take a break or ask for help. I could choose the simple way for the sheer pleasure of its simplicity. 1% gives me options without demanding I be any different to how I am right now.

"What would this look like if I was 1% more at ease?"

What would your day look like if you were 1% more at ease? What would you do differently? How could you be 1% more at ease right now?

I won't promise that this question will change your life as it did for Tim, but maybe, just maybe, it will.