Effortless Action: The Art of Spontaneity is the sequel to my documentary The Art of Effortless Living. This documentary explores the spontaneous nature of the Taoist wisdom of wu-wei as explained by the great sages Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu. Wu-wei is primarily thought of as non-doing, but there is another component of wu-wei related to effortless action, a state of intelligent spontaneity, where one is effortless in every moment of life. This state of mind is commonly known as “being in the zone,” except the idea of “you” doing it and achieving something has vanished and been replaced by an embodied cognitive state akin to a skilled craftsman, minus the ego. Taoism explains that this ability to be in the zone is actually our natural state of mind. Integrating the wisdom of the ancient sages with modern science, Effortless Action explains how world-class artists and athletes reach peak performance—and how you, too, can harness wu-wei to make your actions effortless, enjoy intelligent spontaneity, and reach your optimal potential in this life. The spontaneous nature of wu-wei is the real freedom we yearn for because effortless action is the enlightened mind in its natural state of spontaneity.
