Pretend for a moment you are in complete control of your choices and actions and results. What would you do? 

Everything. 

You would generate all the thoughts and ideas needed to solve your problems and resolve your dissatisfactions. You would direct your focus effortlessly. If someone said, “think of a pink elephant,” and you didn’t want to, you’d keep the image of the animal out of your mind.

Now, lets do the opposite. Let's pretend you have zero control over your choices, actions and results. What would you do? 

You might think nothing. 

But to practice the idea of doing nothing is to realize that it is impossible for a living being to do nothing. 

This is where the argument of semantics comes to the fore. Of course, in the context of this writing piece, what is meant by 'nothing' is that whatever is being done is different from the options of what you want/need/ought/should be doing. 

But remember: in the zero-control scenario, you are not in any control. You can't do anything other than what you are doing. 

Now, lets return to reality where the playing field is in neither of the absolutes of the previous experiments. You have some control.^[1] What would you do? 

Recognize the limits of your control. 

To do so, there is need to turn to Steven Covey, who, in his telling of Viktor Frankl's story, delivers the following insight: 

So the question worth asking isn't what would you do? or what should you do or what do you do? The better question is what do you choose?

The option to choose to do nothing is open. So is the option to choose to do everything. 

The thing about choosing to do nothing (in a literal sense) is that it implies bringing an end to life. Nothing interesting about that. 

The thing about choosing the option to do everything is that it exposes you to the limitations of reality. Rules and laws abound in reality, and being able to navigate them is what takes you from where you are to 'everything'.

One thing you might experience—especially in moments of overwhelm—is that in demanding yourself to do something (which often feels like a demand to do everything), you find yourself doing something else. And this mismatch between what you’re doing and what you think you should (or ought to) be doing creates the feeling that you are doing “nothing".

The solution? Allow yourself do 'nothing'. 

To allow yourself do 'nothing' is recognize it is impossible for a living being to do nothing. It is to inhabit the space between stimuli and response. It is to separate yourself from the self-imposed demand to do everything. And in so doing, you might just find that it is the only path to doing the one thing that truly matters: to choose.