Flow is something I think about a lot. Am I in it? How do I get into it? Am I going with it? Am I resisting it?
When I think of flow, I picture jet streams in the air that birds and butterflies use to fly thousands of kilometres to their specific destinations. Maybe they could travel those long distances without the jet stream, but that would require a lot more unnecessary effort and energy.
I believe there is a Creative Jet Stream. Once we enter the flow of it, it helps to carry us long creative distances. It’s carried me places I never imagined I would go.
I also believe there is a Judgement Jet Stream. It helps carry us long distances, too. But not necessarily in the direction we want to travel.
Self-Talk
As a writer, I spend a lot of time in my head. As a result, I believe that being mindful about self-talk is very important in getting into the flow of the creative process.
It’s hard enough to deal with external judgements and expectations, but if I’m not mindful about self-talk, then I contribute to those same unreasonable judgements and expectations. And that makes it harder for me to write.
How do you get into the flow?
Farhad is Co-Founder and Mindfulness Facilitator at Beyond Binary Consulting.
He is the author of Orientation: For the Journey of a Lifetime
