Revel in your FLOW

26 Aug Revel in your FLOW

What is it about revelations that are so powerful, so attractive?

I love them. They are literally a part of my day, every day, because I choose so. I enjoy the moment, the a-ha of a discovery. Often times they are a long time in the making and when they present their climax, it can be mildly anti-climatic, almost the, “oh, I should have realized that already.”

But the ones that really grip my pistol are the ones that seem to come from nowhere! There’s your average vibration, just bumping along, and wham what in the hell-I can’t believe it-this is right-holy hell- all in a brief moment of silent solitude.

Maybe that’s why we go hiking deep into forests or over ravines, to feel that moment of silence, of wonder, and deep experience that elevates us, that we revel in later. That’s a core part of the revelation, the reveling.

But to experience this on a daily basis, this is what intrigues me. It’s not done, I don’t think, at least not often.
FLOW state is the experience of loss of time, of intense engagement, and being hyper focused while completely at ease, as if you weren’t really doing anything but acutely and actively witnessing whatever the activity is that puts you into this state of being.

Revelations seem to be some sort of precursor to FLOW or perhaps they happen during FLOW and intensify it to a new degree.

Kotler himself, probably experiencing some degree of FLOW

Steven Kotler says there are degrees of FLOW, that it is a scale, not an all or none condition. And there are triggers. I’ll list them briefly for the curious.

3 external: high consequence, rich environment (novel, complex, unpredictable) and deep embodiment (all senses engaged, including kinesthetic ones like balance).

4 psychological: intensely focused, clear goals, immediate feedback, and the challenge to skills ratio (the challenge needs to be slightly greater than the skills being tested).

There are 9 social triggers as well: serious concentration (blocked distractions), shared goals (one that is near but open enough for creative exploration), good communication (listen, accept, build, like, “yes, and..”), familiarity, equal participation and skill level, risk potential for failure, sense of control, close listening, and always saying yes.

The last two are creative triggers: pattern recognition and risk taking.

So without going into deep exploration of each, you can see the science behind the FLOW state exists and that it is attainable.

So, would accessing daily revelation be somewhere along the lines of these triggers?

Think about the last revelation you had, that moment of a-ha at something and suddenly understanding mentally, physically, or emotionally something new. You should be able to think of one, as they are usually quite impacting. Do you recognize any of the triggers listed as precursors or epigraphs to your experience?

I’m just wondering on paper, wandering through words and ideas, trying to grasp what it means to achieve dreams. I think they’re all intertwined, that no small dream can exist independently of a grand one.

Like that set of sentences I just wrote. I didn’t even know I was writing. To me, for me, that is FLOW.

I want everyone to discover and understand the things that make them tick, I want to be a contributor to the universe coming to know itself, intimately and experientially. Maybe FLOW is something that brings us there. It does seem to shed away a lot of the excess baggage we carry with us. It doesn’t just allow you to live with ease, it’s compels you to live with purpose, drive and enthusiastic frivolity. And it’s a bit perilous. This state is undoubtedly fragile and the fear of loss can be worse than the loss itself.

So having an environment that will set you up for success is as important as any other step to flow. You can’t do a double gainer standing in the sand, you’ve got to climb a cliff. You can’t reach ecstasy through your instrument if you’ve got a loud roommate who won’t leave you to your methods, and you can’t find your FLOW joe, the thing that most easily puts you in FLOW, if you’re too distracted by your currently state of being (if you’re damn miserable with your life).

So upgrade your life in whatever ways you need so that you might have access to this state. Opportunities are everywhere, from physical and biological upgrades to give yourself more energy, more motivation from books or people, to upgrading your spirit and mind through meditative practices or creative endeavors. Do not fear if you have no method yet.

You’ve got to see the stars before you can follow them.

I’ve got a network like you wouldn’t believe, over a hundred people who have committed themselves to helping and each have a unique set of skills geared towards a unique kind of person.

If you ever are interested, please reach out.

Meanwhile, I’d love to hear what you’re doing that puts you into FLOW.