The Seven Enemies of Flow

Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing. It is characterized by a feeling of energized focus and full involvement. When reaching a state of absorption in our work, we experience the freedom and deep delight that we seek.

Work that we love, that also provides ample financial abundance, can be an illusive animal. When searching for work that we love, that also pays the bills, it’s sometime better to approach things from the side – rather than head on. An indirect approach begins with noticing where we are in each of the enemies of flow (listed below). As you consider the enemies of flow, ask yourself where they show up in your life. Just realizing that you enter these grounds can allow you to begin to release them.

1. Perfectionism. Perfectionism is actually the opposite of seeing life as perfect. Flow doesn’t always show up as a blissful experience. In other words, opportunities sometimes come disguised as crises. Yet there is always something exactly right (perfect) about our discontent. It is a perfect gift for us to ‘get’ something. But when we strive for perfection, we miss the gift and block the flow. We miss the message within the discord because we are so busy trying to change it. Since what we resist persists, as perfectionists we become stuck in the muck of perpetually trying to create the perfect. The flawed perfect was already ours for the letting. Letting life be most easily allows us to enter flow.

2. Beliefs. Beliefs would aid flow if all we had were unrestricted ones. But we have plenty of the limited variety as well. Consider this: what might your life be like in the absence of all beliefs? You would have to just live life, in the present moment, noticing and adjusting on the fly. But would that really be so bad? All beliefs are conditioned by past experiences and reinforced by emotions. So they limit us to the extent of those experiences and emotions. Limiting beliefs actually stop us from living a large life. As a kid, you mostly just showed up and went with the flow. Life was lighter then because we didn’t know so much. Experiment! Live a couple hours in the absence of belief. See how free you feel.

3. Envy. Flow is an experience of inclusion. It is not possible to be in the flow while wishing to exclude another. . Envy is exclusionary and creates a mindset that says ‘there isn’t enough.’ In a state of flow there is always enough. There’s enough time, money, love, laughter and all good things for everybody. When we are envious of another’s good, we are saying that the Universal Pie is limited. If we believe it’s limited then we are excluding others, and from that place we cannot enter flow. Is your life stream barely a trickle? Release your envy.

4. Struggle. Flow is found on the path of least resistance. Struggle, complaining, needless drama and suffering are all forms of resistance. Each of these states doesn’t lead to the experience of flow. They lead to the experience of resistance. Some of us still enjoy life’s battles. Just understand that both flow and struggle are choices. You decide which option best nourishes your soul. You decide if you can live with taking the easy way out just for the joy of it. Why not be in the right place at the right time? You may be ready for the easy way out. Limber up and allow life.

5. Pretense. When life repeatedly appears out of alignment, some part of us is not being authentic. The physical universe never lies. Looking for the place where we are out of integrity can usually align us. Where are you faking it? Where are you barely holding your life together in avoidance and denial? Take off the mask. Speak the complete truth about how lousy things are and you’ll open the door to heal. The energy of momentum can carry you once your pretense is no more.

6. Doubt. Being drawn along by flow is an experience of trust. The natural well-being of flow is life before we color it with our fears and doubts. Flow is a joyous and delightful experience of living. But to get there we must trust. Doubt runs in the face of trust. If you can’t get there by trusting then come through gratitude. If you just can’t be grateful then come through acceptance. If you can’t accept, then you must enter through the doorway of forgiveness. If you are unwilling to forgive, then know that you are choosing to remain resentful and stuck with doing things the hard way.

7. Invulnerability. When we are unwilling to risk being wounded we are also blocking our entry to flow. Receptivity and eagerness to engage all of life is a prerequisite to flow. Flow can feel effortless, but it is far from mindless or unchallenging. Vigor is a characteristic of flow. Watching television is effortless, but it requires no stretching beyond our comfort zone. Experiences of flow require us to show up ready to extend the limits of our capacities. Flow requires us to enter life’s stream awake to the wonders of the unknown. To really live we’ve got to risk a few bumps but it’s a small price to pay for our waiting glory.

Your choices have placed you within the enemies of flow. As flow is the natural state of well-being, you need only to choose again to enter it. You can release the obstructions to flow by stopping the beliefs and behaviors that keep you in these states. Your flow will come rushing back to you by raising your consciousness in the times that you engage the enemies above.

Comments

  1. Thank you for an outstanding post on The obstacles of Flow.

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    If you have an interest please email me.

    In Balance,

    Shann

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