347 I’m More Concerned With Flow Rather Than Formula December 2017 Wednesday Week 3

Wisdom Wednesdays-#347 December 13 The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast I’m More Concerned With Flow Rather Than Formula I was talking with my good friend and fellow podcaster Suzanne, and we got to discussing how we try to reinvent the wheel too many times and make it harder on ourselves. I was asking about her interview podcast…and if you’re a crafter, or you want to be more amazing, or even if you just love awesome voices…then you need to check out the sosuzypodcast… and that’s spelled S-U-Z-Y.  She has an awesome voice, she’s uplifting, funny, creative, and her intro music is awesome. I’m always dancing in my seat when her podcast starts. Anyways, in our conversation about her interview process she said, “I change up my questions, and I wish I just used the same ones over again. Sometimes I make the question process harder than it needs to be. Then I end up throwing in those new questions, so I should just relax.” And I totally understand her dilemma, you want to create a formula that’s easy to follow, but you also want to be flexible to really hit on the strengths of your guests. Now I know everyone listening doesn’t have a podcast, and maybe will never want to create one…I appreciate you for listening whoever you are in podcast land out there. So I wanted to bring this back to helping anyone find a better process for whatever they are doing in their life. I think when we do something new, we want it to be great, we want it to be different, we want to be unique and not copy people…but I was listening to another podcaster awhile ago, I can’t recall his name…but he said we all are copying someone or something when we first start. That’s fine, do that, and get more comfortable with yourself so then you can begin adding in your own unique flair. So maybe it’s good to find a formula in the beginning to copy for a little bit until you find your flow. The person who made the word flow famous is… Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi…I probably butchered his name since it looks like it should be said as (say name how you think it sounds) I’ve heard it said multiple ways…so just type in his first name in Google since it would take a year to spell out his last name to find out more on him, it’s spelled M-I-H-A-L-Y…but he says that flow is the process of living in that state of being that’s in the middle of the emotions of stimulation and control. It’s that place in between being excited and feeling comfortable. Like anything new we do, there might be anxiety in getting it right, as we don’t feel a sense of control just yet. Or in contrast…when we’ve been doing something for awhile, it can be easy to get bored with that situation or thing. And that’s why flow feels so great, because it’s about balancing our emotions between excitement and control. Or maybe put more easily, being in the zone. Maybe you’ve been in the zone before where things seem so natural and it’s amazingly exciting at the same time. I know anything is possible but being in the zone, the state of flow, 100% of the time probably isn’t possible, so how can we get into flow more often than not? And I don’t have your exact answer, but I want to tackle this a little bit to get you thinking how YOU can find your state of flow. I had a life coaching student where every Friday him and his business partner would go about doing something spontaneous. They worked in a town called Gatlinburg…which if you don’t know anything about that town, it’s a tourist hotspot. It’s right next to the town of Pigeon Forge which is just as exciting as Pigeon Forge is the home of Dollywood…which if you didn’t know, is Dolly Parton’s theme amusement park. So just picture this in your mind about Gatlinburg…Amusement parks, arcades, putt putt, all the shopping you could ever handle…right next to the Smokey Mountains National Park where you can find tons of beautiful hiking trails… And no…Gatlinburg isn’t sponsoring my show, but they should after that fantastic review, right? But anyways, my life coaching student and his business partner would go ride go-karts, or ride a roller coaster, or play laser tag, or just do something uniquely different to start their Friday off, to get into the state of flow. He told me that it was amazing how well his Fridays went, and then the next week would be so refreshing to get back to the routine and be anticipating another fun Friday. He said that his flow routine helped him to make better and more creative choices, he talked about how he got so much done, and how it re-energized him in his life and his work. So it got me to thinking maybe being in flow is finding any way you can create a love and excitement while feeling natural and present in the moment.  Maybe it’s about finding any way to spice up your stuffy life and help creativity be nudged a bit from the cobwebs in your brain…to bring back a newness to the routine of your day. As Mihaly said…about finding that space in between stimulation and control. And if you’re still asking why you need to be in flow when your life is going fine…well maybe a better question to ask yourself is…could I benefit from finding an excitement and ease in my day, could I use a boost in my attitude and work and life processes…and could I find a better way to experience life than I’ve been previously living? I guess it’s about creating that place where you’re not just living day to day…but you’re loving it. I can’t guarantee working on flow will change your day, but I do like to think if you created more ways to live fully…whether weekly, monthly, or daily…you might find yourself more like water…in flow… towards the best possible destination. Today’s Personal Commitment:A gentleman by the name of Owen Schaffer wrote something called Crafting Fun User Experiences: A Method to Facilitate Flow and in it he talked about 7 ways to get into flow Knowing what to do Knowing how to do it Knowing how well you are doing Knowing where to go (if navigation is involved) High perceived challenges High perceived skills Freedom from distractions Which I get what he is saying…but we make flow so complex. It’s like this elaborate plan that you are never going to get to because there are a million steps. So, I’m going to propose you do something that excites you like my life coaching student did on his Fridays. So here are some ideas for you to ruminate on, but feel free to make your own. Go on a date where you just drive with your partner. Chose a number from 5-40 and have the passenger flip a coin on which way to turn when you come to a stoplight or stop sign. There are three ways to go since forward is an option, so maybe when you can’t go straight you use the coin…or maybe you just decide and yell out which way to go instead of flipping a coin. Look up 5 restaurants that had good reviews and choose the first one that comes to your mind. Go to a record store and buy the first CD that really catches your attention to listen to …that’s if you still have a CD player. When you go to a restaurant ask your waiter or waitress what their favorite dish on the menu is and order that. Think about something you always wanted to do as a child and never go the chance to do it, and go out and do it. Get lost on purpose. Go for a drive and take turns and destinations you might not have traveled to because usually you were driving to a specific place. Take a different route to work Instead of speaking first, listen to what people have to say. Make dinner together with your family or loved one. Before you decide to do anything major, take 3 deep conscious breaths. There are millions of things you could do to get you in a different zone. I know the definition of flow is being in between stimulation and control, and maybe doing something new may not feel like control…so those are only suggestions…but you won’t know how great it will feel to try new things and find more excitement in your life if you don’t begin taking more chances on your life. I’m More Concerned With Flow Rather Than Formula     Thanks for listening.  I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn Contact info- email: [email protected]  phone:865-219-3247     Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide