If one way be better than another, that you may be sure is nature’s way.

Work that goes with the grain of how things are tends to go better than work that fights it. A gardener planting in season, a teacher building on how children really learn, a person arranging a day around how their energy actually rises and falls: each follows what is there rather than forcing an ideal onto it. Natural is not automatically good, and the word has often been used to defend unfairness. The useful part is noticing the grain before you push.

Look at one area of your life that feels like constant struggle. Ask whether you are working against something basic in yourself or the situation, and experiment with an approach that cooperates with it instead.