Have you noticed what happens when you are trying really, really hard to remember something or to hit a base ball just right or solve a problem? Invariably, you don’t get the results you want. In their search for ideas and solutions to problems, most people note that they have their greatest success while they are engaged in activities where they are naturally relaxed. Hence they have their brain gems in the shower, in the bath, in bed, in the toilet: places where we relax easily.

To understand the scientific angle, when we relax, our brain rhythms move into a slower mode--the alpha mode--where we are far more able and creative. Results come easily. When you step into a warm shower, you naturally relax. In bed, the same happens; and so you will find you get ideas in bed! You can be very creative in the bedroom. You are open to ideas in the toilet, because you have to relax in there just to get the job done!

Of course, physical relaxation is equally important for peak performance. As we relax our physical body, our whole metabolism comes into balance; our blood pressure drops, our breathing becomes deep and easy, and the organs in our system work harmoniously.

On a broader scale, the same picture emerges. We get the best results in our life when we are prepared to go with the flow. This means finding the delicate and elusive balance between effort and relaxation, between attachment and letting go. It is no simple thing to achieve!

Again, we can take our lead from nature. The birds and the animals work, but they don’t work day and night. Even the soil needs a rest every so often. That one gets us into trouble too! We plant beans on the same plot for twenty three consecutive years, we cram the earth with chemicals to keep them popping up, and wonder why the beans taste worse than the fertilizer. Everything needs a rest. Everything takes time to regenerate, to have an ebb and flow.