Why Would I Want to Embrace This Thing Called FLOW?
Quite simply…
It makes life easier. It makes work easier. It alleviates push and shove. You use less energy for the same tasks. And that beautiful connectedness that happens, this means you are working more authentically and in harmony with who you are and what you want to achieve.
This is highly productive, pleasurable and powerful.
What does flow feel like?
Imagine an idyllic day and a beautiful river.
Imagine what it would be like to enter this river and float, swim, or raft downstream…carried lightly by the water…perfect speed…perfect temperature…floating easily and without stress or obstruction.
It feels glorious, natural, and the water takes you easily to your destination.
That, my friends, is flow…
Your Unique Flow
Everyone has a unique flow…their ideal way of operating in the world.
But, in my experience, there are several things that everyone has in common when they enter this way of being.
When they are truly in their particular and unique flow…
1) It has elements of movement or momentum.
Clients have expressed this as…
“My pen was moving effortlessly across the page.”
“All the ideas I was considering coalesced.”
“I could feel my body relax into a kind of groove.”
“I found I could release old ideas that no longer served me.”
“Every step effortlessly reveals itself and I know what to do next.”
2) It is nourishing and sustainable over time.
Clients have expressed this as…
“Even though I was working intensely for over two hours I felt vital and refreshed.”
“The tiredness I feel today after working in flow, is like I have been on a lovely long walk, rather than the exhaustion of a typical day in the office.”
“It feeds me…ready for what comes next.”
“When I am in that space I feel ‘on purpose’ and enthusiastic.”
3) It holds a current of energy that fuels you.
Clients have expressed this as…
“A buzz.”
“Passion.”
“Enthusiasm.”
“A lovely feeling of being supported as I work.”
4) There is this beautiful connectedness within yourself, with the world and with the task at hand.
Clients have expressed this as…
“Being in ’the zone.’”
“I feel like I am in exactly the right place, doing exactly what I need to be doing.”
“I am so calm inside and yet I am getting so much done.”
“I am tapping into something inside…something new.”
“It is like the universe is supporting me…”
And the last one…almost everyone has experienced at one time or another…
5) Time plays weird tricks, most often it feels like time stands still or you lose time, or it even seem to expand to accommodate you and the task you are undertaking…
Clients have experienced this as…
“All that time has passed, and I hardly noticed.”
“I finished writing and I looked up at the clock and hardly any time had passed.”
“I was so engrossed in what I was doing I did not realize what time it was.”
“My son came knocking on my office door complaining he was hungry and asking when would I make dinner…I had not realized how late it was…”
But remember, everyone’s experience of flow is also unique…
So, if everyone’s flow is different, if your blueprint for being in flow with your life and work is unique, then discovering it is also a very personal experience.
How do you recognize, work with, and harness your particular flow?
To fully understand, access and work with your unique flow can require individual support and processes, but the first step is always the same.
The first step.
The first step is recognizing when you have had moments or times of flow in the past.
Try and remember a time when you felt completely immersed in a task.
A moment or an activity that…
Felt like movement or momentum.
Felt nourishing and sustainable.
Held a current of energy that fueled you.
Generated a beautiful connectedness within yourself, with the world and with the task at hand.
Perhaps had some time weirdness – most often this feels like time stands still or you lose time, or it even may feel like time expands to accommodate you and the task you are undertaking…
When you have a clear recollection…
Shut your eyes.
Take a few deep breaths.
Now…
Remember where you were, what you were doing and what was happening around you.
Picture it clearly.
Remember the feelings, sensations, look, sounds and touch of being in this place.
Stay immersed for a while.
When you have a vivid image in your mind open your eyes and write down a few words to describe your experience.
How did it feel in your body?
Write that down.
Imagine how beneficial it would be to access this kind of flow whenever you wished to…
Write down what that might feel like and the benefits it would have for you and your work.
Think back and see if you can also identify the circumstances or the conditions that surrounded this flowing time for you…
Write them down.
Look carefully at what you have written about the event itself and the circumstances surrounding it…
These are keys to creating more flow in everything you do…
Now it is time to experiment with what you have discovered.
You have identified what flow feels like…
You know why it is a good thing…
You understand the circumstances or conditions you need.
The next step is to incorporate these elements into your life, and work, to help you trigger a state of flow…
Examples of what some of my clients have done as first steps (informed by their past experiences of flow…)
- Introduced specific scents or music into their work space.
- Taken their work outside in the fresh air.
- Exercised/stretched before settling down to a task.
- Cleared their desk.
- Changed their work schedule.
- Reorientated their desk.
- Decided that working in 50 minute intensive bursts with a 20 minute break in between was ideal.
- Painted their office.
- Hired someone to do the tasks that don’t feel like flow.
- Said no to an opportunity that was out of integrity.
- And much more…
Experiment
Play with it. Experiment.
It may not be instantaneous, but over time you are creating more and more opportunities for flow and all the benefits it brings.
Imagine what it would be like to not only have moments of flow, but to identify more aspects of this way of being so you can live and work in this state more often…
More connected, more productive, more relaxed and sustained, and with consistently more energy.
Love Philippa
