December 29 – Slow-Flowing: In this world where we are encouraged to “go as fast as you can to do as much as you can do”, make your Life smooth today instead. Purpose-fully alter the tempo of all your actions today — Walk at a slower tempo than normal. Drive at or below the speed limit (or, better still, drive a bit slower than the slowest car around you). When you speak, speak slowly and distinctly. Take a longer-than-usual lunch break to actually chew and taste your food. When you perform a task, pay attention to each portion of it instead of worrying about “completing” it (this means no multi-tasking today!) … In the evening, relax Purpose-fully. Most importantly, attentively Listen to loved ones. (TV is way too fast, so turn it off!). Review your day smoothly (and with Gratitude) before falling asleep.

I too am aware of the immense frustration that can be felt whenever external circumstances “beyond our control” seem to thwart the best-laid plans or prevent us from attaining our goals. I am but a part of our society – and as such, the intentions & the beliefs of others, as well as the rules & regulations of society as a whole, often do not harmonize with my own. And, on a practical level, these conflicts serve as obstacles to attaining what I want to achieve. This can be quite trying at times …

Sometimes these roadblocks come because we are trying to “push the river”; trying to do more with a situation than its circumstances allow …

And other times, we are simply moving too rapidly; hurling ourselves so devoutly into the future (trying to “achieve success”) that we end up accomplishing nothing at all.

Over the past few years, I have somewhat radically tested the concept of “productivity” – what it meant to “work hard” & “work well”; what it meant to act in a manner that produced the most effective results . I call this harmonious state of ideal effort, “Flow”.

In the beginning of this experiment, I learned many of the things …

I learned that Flow was not about merely reducing the tempo of my actions. Sometimes “going slower” had me missing out on priceless opportunities to be productive for others.

I learned that Flow was not about pausing or hesitating; that “waiting for the best moment to act” often led me to not act at all.

I learned that Flow was not about changing my allegiances or abandoning my responsibilities; that it wasn’t about finding “a better job” or engaging “more meaningful tasks”, as these no task ever proved to be significantly “better”: than the one I had chosen to avoid.

I learned that Flow was not about immersing yourself into the “timelessness of the moment”; that the more I sank into a self-centered “Power of Now”, the less I actually accomplished with my moments.

I learned that Flow was not about being careful; that fear of any kind (including “prudent” tentativeness) only serves to bring even more pain to bear.

And I learned that Flow was not about considering your options to make the “best decision”; that every moment I spent “slowing down” to consider my choices was another moment I was not performing any of them.

But what I really wanted to know was – what IS this mysterious “Flow”? After all, we only have so many moments in which to live, & it makes sense to want to know how can we engage them all “to the fullest” – to “get the most out of life”. Fortunately, as I persisted in testing “Right Action” in these ways, I began to learn more about what “Flow” IS … As it turns out, there is another way of understanding time & how effective our movements are within it.

As it turns out, perfect Flow is about being persistently creative …

… by flexibly and fluidly engaging only what IS (never what “should be” or “could be”).

Flow is about making courageous leaps of faith …

… and yet doing so Flow without hurrying.

Flow is about maintaining balance (not reacting emotionally, but pro-acting calmly) …

… by engendering a soft connection with wherever you already are.

With these Truths in mind, I set forth to move in a flowing fashion through my day. And while I did so, I discovered a few deeper meanings to “moving slowly” that were new to me.

First of all, to see things “slowly”, I learned I could close my eyes and use my other senses to perceive my surroundings.

To speak “slowly”, I learned I could close my mouth and intently listen to others.

To travel “slowly”, I learned I could be consciously smooth even when moving quickly.

To think “slowly”, I learned I could open myself to flashes of inspiration by acting on intuitive impulse.

And to act “slowly”, I learned I could be gentle regardless of what I was doing.

In essence then, “flowing” with my environment – which enabled me to be the most productive Human I could be – had nothing at all to do with what I was doing or even how I was doing it. This perfect Flow turned our to be completely dependent on why I was choosing to do what I was doing; on why I was choosing to move the way I was moving. I could “get a lot done” when worrying about satisfying my particular goals or simply being a “hard worker”. And yet, it became clear that to get the most out of any moment, it is necessary for me to consciously act solely for the benefit of another.

And when I did so, I always entered into the effortless-yet-powerful realm of Flow.

See You when I see you …

… and until then, Be Now!

Scaughdt

Filed under: 366 Days of Kindness by Scaughdt