During a consulting project at McKinsey, every Monday morning, I had to drive 2-3 hours from New Jersey to the client’s office in Connecticut.
One Sunday evening, when I went to bed, I barely had 6 hours left before my wake-up time. So I tried hard to fall asleep. But the harder I tried, the more sleepless I became.
And soon, I had only 5 hours left. I was now fighting a war against the clock and with every passing hour, I only became more and more miserable.
Finally, I woke up without a wink of sleep and somehow drove to the client site without crashing the car. 😐
Over the years, I have realized that you just cannot force your body to fall asleep — it will grab sleep when it wants. All you have to do is relax, and let go. And when the body is ready, it will fall asleep.
While generalizations can be dangerous, sometimes, this does apply to other goals as well. When you obsess with an outcome to the point of anxiety, that obsession itself becomes the enemy of your goal.
Stop obsessing about the outcomes, and instead, focus on the process. Do what you have to, and leave the rest to fate.
Letting go of what you can’t control is the hardest thing you will ever do.
– Rajan