The Backwards Law: The Harder You Try, The Worse It Gets

The Law of Reverse Effort or Inverse Law tells us that sometimes, the more obsessed we are with achieving something, the further we move away from ourselves. Alan Wilson Watts, an English writer, theologian and lecturer, is known for mixing Eastern philosophies, including Buddhism, Taoism and Advaita Vedanta, with Western thought. One of Watts' notable observations is the law of reverse effort. Although it has its origins in Taoism or Zen Buddhism, Watts simplified it as "the more you try to grasp something, the more it slips through your fingers". This law concerns the energetic flow of our efforts and focus: when we stop striving, we often achieve what we want.


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