There is no manual to the soul. No guide, or rule book that tells us what our DNA was truly designed for, or how we were actually intended to live. So we make our best guess of it, and go about our days.
But then, something happens: We have a bad day. And then we have another one. And then, another one after that.
What's going on? Why didn't we enjoy today?
What was within our power to have made this day, a better one?
And what tool do we all have within our grasp to live a truly inspired life?
The answer to that question exists within something called FLOW.
As long as there has been Sapiens and great many other creatures on this earth, there has been Flow. But the value of Flow, and its relevance was only recently unraveled in the 21st century. Yet its idea, if ever discussed, is only done so in passing, without giving it full due process.
Popular culture, it seems, has not fully embraced one of the most powerful ideas each of us should understand and hold.
Flow has the ability improve your day, or to literally change your life.
But the benefits of flow, will depend on you.
What is Flow?
Flow is the psychology of optimal experience.
Ok great, but what does that mean?
Well, simply put, flow is a form of high level happiness. But it's not happiness by accident. Flow is NOT something we trip and fall into it. At least, not very often. Flow is something most of us know about at some level already. It may be a hobby you love, a side project or activity, or something you get to do each and every day.
Flow is personal to each of us, and is something we learn over time, through experience.
INSPIRED TIP: Not sure what flow is to you? Increase new experiences in your life to discover your flow. Do things you haven't tried yet. See the "Flow Examples" below.
Flow is Accomplished Through Experiences You Love and Repeat
Flow is accomplished through experience. We learn which experiences give us the best and most optimized conscious state. Where our minds are fully engaged and challenged, when our physical, mental and emotional energies are all channeled towards a single experience.
Where, during an experience we enter a state of flow.
Flow is a condition we must prepare for, cultivate, and defend by ensuring we give it a time and place, when competing distractions arise.
Flow is an inner experience based on an external event you create and practice. And while there are various types of flow, all provide benefit for those willing to embrace it.
Flow is being so immersed inside an experience you lose all track of time. What you thought was 10 mins, was actually 1 hour. I've once gone 6 hours with complete loss of time when I was completely immersed within a challenging writing project.
Examples of Flow
But what is Flow? If the statements above still have you scratching your head, here are some examples of flow. You'll notice there are different types of flow
High Optimized Flow
Having an intellectually stimulating conversation is Flow
Cooking an incredible meal from scratch is Flow
Reading a book is Flow
Skiing is Flow
Swimming is Flow
Martial Arts is Flow
Playing Chess is Flow
Yoga is Flow
Hiking is Flow
Sailing is Flow
Surfing is Flow
Scuba Diving is Flow
Boxing is Flow
Kayaking and Canoeing is Flow
Photography, Cinematography, Film Making, and Acting is Flow
Exercising at the gym, running, or doing pull ups at a park is Flow
Carpentry, Plumbing, Car Repair the act of building or repairing is Flow
Computer Repair, Building is Flow
Playing a musical instrument, like a guitar or keyboard, is Flow
Drawing, Painting, Writing is Flow
Sowing, Knitting, Stitching is Flow
Singing is Flow
Video Gaming is Flow
Sex is Flow
...but as you may have noticed above, not all levels of flow are made equal...
Inspired Tip: Not all examples above produce the same level of flow for one simple reason: The Most Highly Optimized Flow includes the pursuit of a goal within a system or structure of measure. That is, to learn a new skill, or improve on an existing one, there must be a structure or system in place that govern rules within to learn by.
Flow is NOT the Experience of Awe
It's important to understand that there are different types of experiences which are excellent in creating moments of Awe, which also have the ability to transform us. But by definition Awe is not flow, because while time may stand still, there is no specific learned skill from the experience of Awe.
Here are some examples of Awe, not to be mistaken for Flow:
Watching a sunrise or sunset
Watching a school of dolphins or whales pass by
Star Gazing
Storm Watching
Camping in the woods
Travel, in it's most broadest sense
Inspired Tip: Add more FLOW to your life starting today. Adjusting our schedules to include more flow will improve your life and your outlook of the future. It will bring back more control in your day. It will give you higher levels of deep satisfaction, adding better alignment to the real, authentic you.
Flow is Part of our Inspired Life Foundations
For those who have been reading The-Inspired for a while, you'll know that we often discuss important Inspired Life Foundations that have been proven to create substantial improvement to our lives.
Flow is one such foundation.
This is why we here at The-Inspired.com consider Highly Optimized Flow an Essential Inspired Life Foundation: for it's ability to empower you to add more flow to your life.
To embrace that which was already designed within our DNA, is to live a life that includes FLOW.
Thanks for reading. And if you haven't yet, don't forget to subscribe
And share this story with a friend too. Because everyone needs a little bit of The-Inspired
Goran Yerkovich
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