Tao Te Ching 38 (Teaching 1)

The Master doesn’t try to be powerful; thus he is truly powerful. The ordinary man keeps reaching for power; thus he never has enough.

The Master does nothing, yet he leaves nothing undone. The ordinary man is always doing things, yet many things are left to be done.
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If we believe that power lies outside of us, then we will be reaching for it day after day. If we realize that power lies inside us, and that it’s already there, then we are truly power-full. Because the Master knows this, s/he has no need to try to be powerful. Power is found through this self-realization, not through trying.

Life isn’t about doing; it’s about being. It’s been said that we are human beings who act like human doings. If we choose to be, which means being fully present here and now no matter what the circumstances may be, then we will find, almost mystically, that nothing is left undone – because we will know that life cannot be other than as it is at that moment. In a very real sense, there is nothing to be done.

Shakespeare nailed it: “To be or not to be; that is the question.”

The ordinary person is rarely satisfied with the present moment. S/he wants to changes things; to make them better; to make the bad stuff go away; to make the good stuff come. No matter how much s/he does, there are always many things left to be done.