Have you ever been so immersed in something that time seems to just pass by without you even noticing?
Has there been a time when you were so open to possibilities that a solution to an ongoing problem or an idea that never occurred to you previously presents itself almost miraculously?
Have you ever thought of something, and all of a sudden, someone who can support you in achieving your goals reaches out, and it seems like an incredible coincidence or pure serendipity?
It’s not, really. It was you. You created the opportunity for these things to happen. Just like an athlete who scores the winning point or an artist who creates an inspiring piece, you too can harness your power and get into the flow anytime, anywhere, and I’m about to tell you how.
Why are You Stressing and Struggling?
Many people live their lives and pursue their goals by struggling against mental and emotional walls of resistance, causing stress, burnout, overwhelm, and unhappiness. This is not only exhausting, but it also blocks solutions and opportunities for success from flowing to them with inspiration and ease. They stress more to try to achieve success because they feel it’s necessary and that somehow, they’re more in control of the situation or outcome.
What they don’t realize, however, is that this very state of being is stopping them from truly achieving success. They try to force certain outcomes without realizing that better outcomes are waiting for them if they would ease up and allow things to flow with positive action. As they strive and struggle, they often damage their health and relationships while limiting the level of success that’s actually available to them.
As I’ve mentioned before and describe in my latest best-selling book, Stressless Success: The Surprising Secrets to a Life of Passion, Purpose, and Prosperity, a fact of the universe is that everything is energy at its core or subatomic level. Since this is true, why are you living life so hard? Why struggle against the current when you can flow along the stream and allow thoughts, ideas, and solutions to flow to you and with you? When you go with the flow, you ride the wave and land easily on the shore. Once you recognize that everything is energy, and you learn how to get into your flow state, everything in your life begins to move with ease.
You may be thinking, “Well, that makes sense, but how the heck do you do that?”
Defining Your Flow State
Some say that being in a flow state is when you are hyper-focused on something and are so immersed in the thoughts that you lose track of time. While this makes some sense, it’s not the true type of flow state I suggest. By being hyper-focused, you may actually block other ideas from flowing to you. Have you ever been so hyper-focused on trying to remember something important, and it’s not until later, after you’ve forgotten about it and are doing something else, that what you were trying to remember just pops into your head with ease? This is precisely what I am referring to.
By going with the flow, I don’t mean that you accept undesirable things or situations in your life just because they come to you. Instead of fighting against something, open your mind and your energy (or feelings) and allow solutions to appear as you take deliberate action from a place of positive anticipation or flow.
In my opinion, a more appropriate and helpful definition of being in the flow comes from Positive Psychology teachings:
“A flow state, also known as being in the zone, is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.”
Notice that unlike mental hyper focus, I emphasize the emotional aspect of this. It’s your feelings that generate an energy within you and come from you that affect your life.
How to Find Your Flow State
In my Accelerated High Performance Program, I emphasize the importance of being fully engaged in every task, eliminating distractions, and avoiding having your mind wander to unrelated topics. When you are fully engaged for a block of time, this is far more productive and efficient than thinking about a dozen different things at once. Did you ever try to write an email while talking on the phone? You know, then, that this doesn’t work, as it creates errors and you end up wasting time having to redo the email once you end your call.
When you are in the flow, though, every action, thought, and feeling works together in the most uplifting and inspiring way, like an orchestra playing the most incredible composition. Living in the flow AND being in a state of flow during any particular activity will help you to feel more expansive in your energy (a key to success) and will help you to not only be more productive but get better results from your actions. Good results from positive action is my true definition of productivity.
How do you do this?
- Eliminate Distractions – Get somewhere quiet and shut off your phone, email, social media, and, of course, the TV!
- Clear and Open Your Mind and Your Heart – Getting in the flow means releasing restrictive thoughts and feelings and opening your mind and heart to unlimited possibilities. As works in neuroscience point out, there are changes in brain activity when you are truly in the flow. Meditation is one very effective way to change the energy frequency of your brain waves as you take a deep breath, relax, and let go of resistance. Doing something you love that uplifts your spirits before you take action is also very helpful. When you do this, you increase dopamine, which is a feel-good chemical associated with pleasure and motivation that is released from your brain.
- Do What You Love, and Love What You Do – You’re not going to be able to get into the flow if you’re doing something you hate doing or find boring. Focus on one thing you love or appreciate about the task at hand, and watch your life begin to flow with ease and joy.
- Let Go and Walk Away from Struggle – Let go of the idea that you need to control everything all of time, and don’t fight against anything. If you find yourself starting to struggle with a task or idea, walk away for a while and do something to clear your mind and uplift your energy.
Allowing things to flow takes courage and faith in knowing that the outcome will be far superior to anything that you may have created through forced concentration. Open yourself up to the power to create an energy that is within you and around you. Ride with the flow of clear and uplifted energetic current, and soon you will find yourself inspired and exhilarated instead of restricted and exhausted. Take positive action while being in the flow, and you’re certain to get positive results.
Practice Finding Your Flow
The more you practice getting into the flow, the easier it’ll be to get there – like flexing a muscle that gets stronger over time. You spend less time worrying and more time truly living. This is such a wonderful way to work and live, and this new state of being will help you to be more productive, creative, fulfilled, and successful.
From this state of being, you create a more meaningful life by tapping into your deeper purpose, your God-given skills and qualities, and creating a powerful flow of energy. You’ll have more faith that something you need or want is truly possible, and you’ll feel as if you’re part of something greater—an integral part of the human race and the entire universe.
If you’re struggling with getting into the flow or finding your flow state, please don’t feel as though you’re alone in your efforts. I’m here to help you learn how to live a life of ease and success without stress and struggle. Contact me to set up a complimentary 1-on-1 strategy session, or visit my blog to discover more of my teachings on the Stressless Success Shift™!