# The River's Flow and Survival By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2024-08-15 Ross Edgley recently broke the world record for the world's longest non-stop river swim over two days. There was no sleeping and no touching the ground. He swam over 500 km over the course of 60 hours. He had loads of assistance from people following along on boats to provide him with food and navigation, but he did it alone. During one of his interviews, he mentioned the importance of going with the flow and finding the path of least resistance. This conserved his energy and helped him avoid obstacles in the river, like rocks and trees. However, he also mentioned there were times when he had to sprint with all his might and take a path different from the primary flow of the river to avoid rapids or waterfalls, which would surely be his undoing. This is the Wu-Wei Strategy. Going with the river's flow but knowing when to sprint to avoid a destructive path. One cannot go for long against the flow of the river, so one must go with it. But, sometimes, one must sprint and push hard to take the better path one is unlikely to take if floating along. Knowing when to go with the flow and when to sprint is critical. It is hard to see what is ahead when one is in the river. When one is tired, finding the will and strength to sprint is hard. Therefore, one needs support. One needs navigators who guide where things are likely to go, and one needs encouragement when they are tired. These include books, mentors, friends, mindsets, beliefs, reflections, or family. Too many people float down the river to their demise. Too many people fight the river until they are exhausted and unable to enjoy life. Too many people attempt to dam or divert the river and never make it very far. The river is inevitable. Sometimes, one must go with the flow; other times, one must sprint with all one's might to take the path less traveled to survive and thrive. #### Related Items [[Wu-Wei]] [[The Wu-Wei Strategy]] [[Flow]] [[Reflection]] [[Strategy]] [[Decision-making]] [[Organization]] [[Analytics]] [[Life]]