We’ve all had the experience of being so involved in an activity that time flies or perhaps even stands still. A state in which awareness and activity merge to form a creative synergy that elevates you above mundane concerns, and where, like a waterfall, energy rushes through your body toward the object of your attention.
When you do finally descend from this state, you have a glow–a flow glow. You aren’t tired, drained or stressed. Rather, you are literally high on life.
Such is the power of flow.
Those who experience flow on a regular basis such as poets or musicians crave this intoxicating feeling and begin to seek it out in other areas of their lives. One of the characteristics of this state is that you realize immediately when you’re in it due to the exceptional level of mental/emotional harmony.
A life lived in flow is seamless. This inner harmony becomes much more desirable than, say, the surge of adrenalin that comes from a fit of road rage.
We have entered an era characterized by unprecedented rates of change. Life in twenty years will be unrecognizable to older generations. The age of innovation has given us a mandate: either hold on to form as you now know it or learn to go with the flow.
While some people stumble upon flow while mastering a skill, others choose to cultivate this fluidity as a way of life. Everyday flow is the critical skill of the 21st century. Tomorrow’s leaders will be adept at flow. They will be interpersonal ninjas who remain impervious to drama and negativity. They will experience internal harmony despite the chaos of rapid change.
Form or flow? Form changes. Those who choose to fight in order to hold onto position or power will soon lose their grip. Those who rise to the top will have cultivated a level of agility that only comes from the power of flow.