The Tao of Enough

Escaping the Hedonic Treadmill through Lao Tzu’s Wisdom

I’m up at 5 am, and before I’ve even had my coffee, my mind is buzzing, and my heart is racing. Not only am I travelling in a few days, but we are also a few days from the end of the year, when I review my year, both accomplishments and regrets.

I sit to try and meditate, but all I can hear is my voice whispering, “I’ve not done enough this year. I’ve missed targets and abandoned goals—what a waste 2024 was”

Welcome to the hedonic treadmill. We hustle for a win, only to start sprinting after the next one. The problem is that we never reach a point where we can pause, breathe, and say, “This is enough.”

We’re obsessed with output. It’s go-go-go: check emails, chug coffee, update the spreadsheet, schedule the Zoom meeting, squeeze in a workout, and post on social media to keep the personal brand alive.

This manic dance, this endless loop, is what we call “daily life.”

And yet, no matter what we achieve, that feeling of “I’m complete now” never sticks. Achievements give us a fleeting high, but the crash always comes. Then we start chasing again. It’s a cycle destined to keep us perpetually dissatisfied.

Sure, hitting goals feels great—finishing a project, getting promoted, or moving into a better apartment is undeniably rewarding. The problem is we’ve turned productivity into a measure of our self-worth.

We tell ourselves, “I’ll be happy when I reach X.” But when we do, we celebrate for five minutes and move the goalposts further. Deep down, we know it’s never enough.

That’s the treadmill: an endless run to nowhere.

Lao Tzu, the legendary Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism, would probably shake his head at all this frenzy. His wisdom was rooted in flowing with life, letting the mud settle so the water could clear, and embracing stillness rather than forcing things.

This relentless “I must do more” mindset drags us out of the present moment, hurling us into an imaginary future where we think we’ll finally feel okay. However, Lao Tzu suggests that true peace comes not from pushing harder but from letting go of that frantic need.

“Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.”
― Lao Tzu

Centuries later, Eckhart Tolle echoed the same idea. He says we suffer because we resist what’s right here, right now. We’re too busy fantasising about some future version of ourselves who has it all together. Tolle urges us to realise that we already live in the only moment that exists: this one.

If we could just show up fully in the present, we’d see that the madness of endless productivity is unnecessary. Our worth isn’t tied to the next big win.

This doesn’t mean quitting our jobs or refusing to work hard.

It means shifting how we relate to our efforts.

Mindfulness—a fancy term for paying attention—teaches us to notice what’s happening inside. That tightness in your chest when you think about deadlines? The mental scorecard of what you did (or didn’t) accomplish?

Mindfulness says, “Notice that. Don’t fix it; just see it.”

By observing how tightly we tie our mood to our output, we loosen the knot. We begin to see that our value doesn’t depend on ticking boxes.

The digital age has only amplified this struggle. Our phones constantly remind us that others are doing more, achieving more, and living “better” lives. This fuels an internal panic: “I’m falling behind!”

It’s never been easier to compare—and never harder to just exist.

But if we pause and take a breath—if we notice the ever-changing clouds above us or listen to the chirps of the birds outside—we might realise life is okay as it is.

This doesn’t mean we stop improving ourselves. It means we stop betting our happiness on reaching some imaginary finish line.

Here’s the paradox: the world often rewards productivity, but we perform better when approaching our work from a grounded, mindful place. Without the internal pressure cooker, creativity flows, and focus improves.

Letting go of the need to impress frees us to do genuinely good work.

Lao Tzu and Eckhart Tolle aren’t telling us to abandon effort—they’re showing us a healthier way. If we’re always sprinting ahead, we miss that we’re alive right now.

And if we can’t feel alive in this moment, what’s the point of all the hustle?

Society’s narrative says we must constantly produce, improve, and achieve. But what if we recognised that we’re already enough, just as we are?

The new year is only days away. Let’s start by stepping off the treadmill and grounding ourselves in the present moment. Let’s feel our feet on the ground instead of lunging toward the next big thing.

Let’s breathe.

Let’s recognise that life is happening now—not after the next milestone.

We are allowed to pause, to feel enough, and to discover that happiness is not a prize to be won.

It’s something we can experience right here, right now.