I could write a whole book on the subject and for those of you who want to more, there are plenty of great books on the subject. Probably one of the best places to start is with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who wrote ‘Flow – The Psychology of Happiness’ or if you prefer something a little less weighty to start with, try his book ‘Finding Flow’ in which he talks about the psychology of engaging with everyday life.
If reading isn’t your thing, then here’s my take on it, the mega short version.
I love living ‘in flow’! I know when I’m in flow and life is much easier and better when I’m in it. For me, the phrase ‘go with the flow’ pretty much sums it up. If I stop thinking about and worrying about the things I can’t control. If I stop trying to control the un-controllables and stop resisting the things that are going to happen and indeed must happen in order for me to move on. If I stop fighting the world, certain people in it and the injustice of certain situations I find myself in. If I just stop and observe…and listen to my soul…and just be…. I find flow.
Do I have to work at being in flow? Hell yes! As a self certified control freak, I have spent a lot of my life trying to push upstream. Sometimes that works but goodness is it ever hard work? Think of a big, powerful waterfall – imagine how hard it would be to try and forge a path upstream against the flow, up the slippery rocks, being hit by debris coming the other way and generally just pushing against the power of the water crashing at you from the other direction. And yet, that’s what we do with our lives – often! Now imagine that same waterfall but being in a canoe, with all the right kit on and just ‘going with the flow’ – you still have to navigate potential hazards but it is SO much easier. Going in same direction as the water, it’s faster and you are more than likely to reach the goal at the end.
Being in flow FEELS better. We are more relaxed, we feel good. It’s easy to trust that good things are coming and are meant for us. We are easier on ourselves and others because we know we are allowing our life to flow. It doesn’t mean we won’t meet challenges and it doesn’t mean we can’t make choices. It’s not about doing nothing and letting everything happen to you. It’s more about taking yourself out of the difficult bits of a situation (the bits that often trigger us to panic, worry, fight, or to act before we think better of it) and taking some time to stop, imagine the best outcome and make better choices which will deliver the preferred outcome.
As with anything, practice makes this easier to achieve more often than not. If you can learn to do it, great! We have several great tools we can teach you to help you find flow and stay within it more often. Join our free Facebook Group to learn more and meet other likeminded clients, friends and followers!