Finding Flow in Your Career
Lately, each morning I have been waking up to do a quick 5 minute journal where I set my intention for the day. Rather than a full sentence, my intention today is a word: flow.
What does that mean, exactly?
For me, letting things flow goes beyond letting this be or being in a state of continuous movement. It is letting your life happen and trusting in the fluidity between your mind and body to choose to allow the best decision to be made for your greater being at that time. It's not planning what is going to happen next or how you might deal with it. It's not thinking of how you can change what is going to happen today and what more you can do. It's letting the day, the moments, the decisions flow as they come up.
“There’s this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback…”
Some may think that this is letting go of control or taking the stance of “It will be, what it will be”. And I would argue to say that you are not releasing control, you are moving to a place of trust in yourself and your decisions. Your control comes at the point of action where you will check in with yourself as you move through your day and ask:
How do I feel right now?
How do I want to feel in this moment?
What decision or action can I make to allow myself to enjoy this experience?
This past year I have missed out on enjoying moments in my career journey because I haven't allowed my experiences to flow. I put so many expectations on what I wanted to business to look like, what success would feel like, and how I would get there. Those expectations influenced me to control and plan and add more to my plate. It didn't allow me to enjoy the moments and achievements I was having each day.
While the ability to strategically plan and manage risks can be essential in your career, it is also important to understand that you can't control everything. Things will happen -- with your team, with your goals, with your personal life that will be unpredictable. I wish I would have learned this earlier because it is one of my greatest lessons from this past year. I want this for you! I encourage you to bring yourself back to the moment and flow -- ask yourself:
Is this a decision I need to make right now?
If I am focused on this right now, what am I not focusing on? Is that okay?
Will my thoughts or planning right now change the outcome?
Embrace the flow of life. You are still in control of your decisions, you're just allowing room to enjoy the moments along the way.
Your friend,
Lindsay