The Tao Te Ching’s Wisdom Regarding Work Is Invaluable
Work hard and then let it go.
Thousands of books about work, work habits, what to do, what not to do, have been written by a plethora of brilliant minds over the millennia, especially in the last fifty years. I’ve read some (The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey comes to mind), but certainly not all.
For my money, the most profound advice of all regarding work comes from a short passage in my favorite book of wisdom, the Tao te Ching, written 2,500 years ago by Lao Tzu.
From Chapter 24:
“He who clings to his work will create nothing that endures. If you want to accord with the Tao, just do your job, then let go.”
That’s it. Just do your job then let it go. What does that mean?
What it means for writers
Let’s start with what this would mean for a Substack writer. It means work your ass off on the article you’re working on. Put in all the blood, sweat, toil and tears you can muster to make it the best it can be. Then submit it and move on to your next piece.
What shouldn’t you do? Check your stats page every five minutes to see how many reads you’ve gotten. Or call every friend you have and see what they think about your latest feat of brilliance. Or spend ten percent of your time writing and ninety percent pushing it on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.
