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The Law of Reversed Effort
Caring a little less and coming to terms with a potential negative outcome doesn’t necessarily make us lazy or indifferent.
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John’s eager for the job interview.
He’s rehearsed for a couple of days and is ready to discuss his background, past accomplishments and disappointments, and the specific strategies he’d implement to elevate the department.
But when the interview begins, he freezes. He stumbles over words, can’t remember the names of the people across from him, and botches key data he hoped to use to make his point.
Needless to say, he doesn’t get the job.
The issue with John wasn’t necessarily his credentials or a lack of preparation.
Rather, it was a concept highlighted in the Law of Reversed Effort, coined by author and philosopher Aldous Huxley.
In essence, the Law of Reversed Effort states that the harder we try with our conscious will to achieve something, the less likely we are to do it.
Investor and entrepreneur Sahil Bloom detailed the law on Twitter last week — and it has three key takeaways for us:
1. We must be able to balance between wanting something badly and being able to live with not getting it
2. Going all out, all the time isn’t always the formula to attaining the desired result
3. Balanced effort is a critical component of success
The point isn’t that John should've stopped caring entirely or that he never should've put in great effort toward getting the job.
But conserving some energy, caring a little less and coming to terms with a potential negative outcome doesn’t necessarily make us lazy or indifferent.
Instead, it often gives us clearer perspective and leaves us more at ease — in turn, putting us in better position to achieve our ultimate goal.
“Actionable takeaways within 5 minutes” – Dickie Bush
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