There are two paradigms foundational to doing good work: going with the natural flow of things and engaging in disciplined action to beat resistance.
At first glance, these paradigms seem opposing. One advocates for effortless action and achieving a fluid, unforced flow state. The other emphasizes clarity in your vision, brought to life through disciplined action in a more constrained manner. This presents a duality where both elements play their role in producing good work. But they seem mutually exclusive: either you engage in effortless action or focus on disciplined pursuit of a vision.
The magic lies in mastering this duality—finding balance. It's not that either one is superior to the other in its own way, but rather, they are two poles you need to learn to dance around. There are times when effortless action, freed from the past and the future, fully opening yourself up to evolutionary impulses as you follow the natural flow of things, is what's best. Other times, it's about disciplined action, beating resistance, and doing the work you are avoiding. The latter represents a more forceful approach required to overcome the fear-based limitations of the human condition manifesting as resistance. Those mastering this duality are the most effective, the boldest—the people who change the world.
Just as waves come and go, the states of natural flow and disciplined action ebb and flow. You need to learn what is required when, and engage with intentionality in the states that drive your best work.