Finding your flow state when everything is falling down around you is challenging to say the least! After all when everything’s calm life’s easy anyway. I’ve always thought ‘finding your zen’ must be easy if you’re sat on the top of a mountain, by your self, with no distractions. Surely it’s when the baby’s crying, the tea is burning and the stock market’s crashing that finding your zen is difficult!!!
So I have a little exercise for you to try. It’ll take you 5 to 10 minutes and you can do it right now. Grab a pen and paper and write down 50 things that make you happy. Don’t stop til you get to 50. Here’s the thing. You’ll find it really, REALLY difficult if you ‘think’ your way to 50. If you get out of your mind and ‘flow’ you’ll get to 50 much quicker, easier and with less ‘thinking’. And that’s the lesson – to be able to flow state when life’s difficult, not to think, but to flow.
So what’s the key to finding your flow state?
First: Write down rainbows, daffodils and butterflies. Cus lets face it – everyone likes those.
Second: Write whatever comes into your mind. Don’t judge, don’t spell check, don’t think about jam sandwiches for the next 3 minutes, just write!!!
Third: Let it flow and you’ll suddenly write 20 without even thinking about it.
To get to 50, you’re gonna have to find the little things. The guilty pleasures. Things that you’d forgotten. Things that will make you smile or laugh because they’re silly. Write them all down as they come to you and move straight to the next thing.
Once you’ve completed your 50…
you have one more little thing to do …. add another 50!!! This time though you have a week to complete it. Just add them as you think about them during your day. You now have a go to list of 100 things that make you happy, which you can refer back to any time you’re stressed/ upset/ frustrated.
Just like Yoga and Meditation are ‘practices’, finding your flow state takes time and practice. It’s about being able to change your ‘state’ when all around you is falling down. Being able to take a breathe, calm your mind and make good choices will 10x your life. Try the exercise and see how you get on. I hope it give you a new perspective on your mind and what it’s capable of.
Love and peace,
Paul
There’s more free exercises for you to do in our Resources section. We’ll be adding more so check back regularly.