How to Go With the Flow
The flow of life is all about mindset
One of my most used phrases is “go with the flow”. I advise it and I live by it.
It has allowed me to travel and move to new places, as well as learn to let go and trust in now. Flow is a mind-set. It’s about letting everything happen (the good, the bad, and the ugly!) with acceptance and awareness while welcoming in an organic flow of life.
It’s not about resisting or racing ahead, but relying on the moment and the magic of life to let you flow with trust.
“Go with the flow” may sound as alien as “stay positive” to certain people that don’t know how to. So how do you find your flow? (Can I say flow any more times?!)
Here’s how to go with the flow based on finding my own:
What is the flow?
There a few flows to be considered here (haha):
In the dictionary, flow is defined as:
“An act of moving or running smoothly, a movement of water or the continuous moving of ideas, stories, etc.”
The state of flow in psychology was discovered by Hungarian-American psychologist, Csikszentmihalyi.
He believes the state of flow is reached through finding a purpose motive — providing energy for living. For him, finding your flow is the key to happiness. I believe this is the case too.
So the ‘state of flow’ in psychology is to be so immersed in something that you forget the outer world. Makes sense, right? Be it painting or playing an instrument, the state of flow helps us be more creative and happy. Entering into this flow state is a key component to happiness.
The flow of life cannot be defined, but only experienced. Lao Tzu says:
“Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward whatever way they like.”
For me, my flow is to follow my heart and I truly think it’s an art. Putting myself in crazy situations over the past few years (like nowhere to live or having no money) has only strengthened me and made me more resilient in life; making me go with the flow.
How to go with the flow
It’s an everyday mission of putting trust in your progress and passions.
It’s waking up with a will to be a better person, welcoming in new energy to share with others and trust in the future.
How to go with the flow of life is similar to a river — storms may disrupt the flow, but the water still goes on and the waves settle after time.
Take life as a river, with all its turbulences, tribulations, and trials to find a flow again.
That’s what I do — whenever worry arises and my mind is crashing like a storm, I breathe and remind myself it’s OK. I trust in God and life to lead me through, but it’s not about just sitting back and going with the flow, man(!)
How you can reach your flow
It all comes down to motivation. How do you stay motivated? Find purpose and follow your passion. As stated last week in my blog post, finding your ikigai can help with this.
Mindmap and create a poster with motivational quotes or goals on to keep you in the flow because I can’t tell you what motivates you:
“Motivation is deeply personal and only you know what words or images will resonate with you.” — Daniel Pink
Have you ever drank yogi tea? Well, I am addicted (no surprises there, right?!) I live for the quotes and take them to heart. My housemates used to laugh at me because I’d cover the bathroom mirrors in them as healthy reminders. It was like leaving my mark — I mean what better way to brush your teeth than reading uplifting quotes?
They helped me find daily motivation in the less ‘flowful’ days!
One last note:
We can’t be fueled every day with motivation without having a healthy diet, regular laughs, and happy thoughts — work on it and find your flow.
How to find your flow means taking one step at a time, honouring your path, and accepting everything for what it is.
Are you still stuck? Here are ten tips on how to go with the flow.
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