Questions · Human Questions
Why do some things get harder the harder I try?
Direct answer
Because effort is only a matter of how much force you use; it does not equal the right direction. A person can push extremely hard, yet keep pushing against the relationships, conditions, and tendencies that have already formed. Sheng uses "shi" (tendency, tension, directional force) as a reminder: before acting, do not only ask "am I trying hard enough" — also look at what direction is forming between the two ends, where things are already packed full, where there is still an "empty place," and what is faintly about to be born.
Further explanation
This is not telling you to worship "going with the flow." Sometimes going against the shi is necessary, but you should at least know what you are resisting and what it costs — rather than explaining every failure away as "I just didn't try hard enough."
Core concepts
Primary sources
Conclusions that must not be drawn
Do not write this as self-help success doctrine, and do not say that "the universe will arrange the right path for you."
Related phrasings
Why does trying harder make things worse?What do I do when I'm working hard in the wrong direction?Why can't some things be forced?
Natural phrasings of the same semantic domain, used for retrieval and understanding; the page does not pile up near-duplicate content.