Go With!

The art of impact is the art of conserving energy so that there is more to unleash in a focused way when the moment arises. It's important then to realize where we waste our effort, looking carefully at our personal energy footprint, reducing it to a minimum.

A big drain is our tendency to go against, instead of going with. Whenever there's change, or a new situation, our instincts cause us to resist, to complain, to be anxious. All this takes energy and suppresses our ability to think creatively about the new challenge.

It's better to go with whenever possible, saving our energy for the inevitable opportunity to make an impact. Use this as a tool; make a conscious choice to stop resisting as a default. Let the situation carry you and focus your resources on finding the opportunity, instead of fighting. This is how to harness serendipity, keeping aware of the possibilities instead of blinding ourselves by struggling against.

Of course, we can't go along with everything - like Jim Carey in Yes Man - but we can certainly go with more and see where we end up.