Yesterday I had the best game of my life — 39 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists — but the real story is why it happened.
The week before, I was gripping the game too tightly.
Overthinking.
Obsessing.
Chasing perfection.
It felt like college again — that old pattern where the harder I tried, the tighter everything got. Stress piled up, and my game closed in on itself.
What broke the loop was a principle from Daoism:
Wu Wei — “Effortless Action”
In Daoism, wu wei means acting without force.
Not passive — just not fighting the world, and not fighting yourself.
There’s a classic story about Butcher Ding in the text Zhuangzi. Ding was renowned for carving oxen with unbelievable precision. When asked how he did it, he said:
“I follow the natural lines. I do not force.
I let my spirit move through the work.”
He never carved with tension.
He carved with ease — moving with the structure that already existed.
That’s wu wei.
And that’s basketball at its best.
When I stop forcing the game, something shifts.
I play like Butcher Ding — reading, reacting, flowing.
I find space instead of trying to manufacture it.
Instinct takes over.
The game simplifies.
Letting Go Releases Stress
Trying harder often creates stress.
Letting go dissolves it.
When I shift from control to trust — gratitude, breath, presence — my nervous system opens.
My decisions get cleaner.
My body loosens.
My mind quiets.
And basketball becomes what it was always meant to be:
A game.
The Lesson
Flow comes when I stop gripping.
Performance comes when I stop forcing.
I show up when I let go.