Are you familiar with the concept of "flow state"? Flow state is that incredible feeling we get when we are so supremely focused on whatever we are doing that we literally enter a different state of mind. It can feel like a state of bliss, a state of absolute clarity, and even though whatever we're doing is challenging (we do not enter flow state while doing things that are easy), it can begin to feel effortless; as if our body and mind already know the next move and simply execute on their own. There are no distractions in flow, no stress or judgements. All that exists is that exact moment. Scientists show that flow can be achieved through practically any activity that both interests you and challenges you. Sports, surfing, snowboarding, mountain biking, yoga and martial arts are all common ways people enter flow, but it can also be achieved by less physical activities such as playing music, cooking, playing chess, writing, drawing, solving puzzles and even while reading an incredible book. Growing up I would often enter flow while playing soccer or skateboarding; these days it's typically while snowboarding or taking photos. I truly believe that I am happiest when I'm doing things that allow me to enter flow often. Because of this, in the same way people chase dopamine to feel alive, I chase flow. Have you experienced flow before? And if so, what were you doing to achieve it?
"The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost." -Mihály Csíkszentmihályi
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I recently read The Great Gatsby for the first time, and while the book is filled with all sorts of cleverness, a concept I particularly enjoyed was how much more private large parties are than small ones. At first this sounds backwards. How could you receive more privacy while being surrounded by way more people?! But it actually makes a lot of sense, particularly at massive parties. Massive parties provide more opportunity to blend-in; to be whoever you want and to act however you want. If you weren't feeling particularly social and preferred just to wander around the party, you could literally not to talk to anyone the entire night and no one would even notice or care. Imagine trying that at a small party. Conversely, if you were feeling social, you could choose exactly who you wanted to talk to and for how long. You'd have the ease to remain in a conversation you were enjoying, and the same ease to slip away if the conversation got stale. You could laugh with that person, dance with that person, hold hands with that person and no one would care at all. You could certainly do that at a small party, but it might be a little awkward.
"I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy." -F. Scott Fitzgerald It's interest how quickly life can change. One year ago today I was boarding an international flight, taking me to Thailand and eventually to Vietnam. I had never been to Asia before and suddenly I was going to be there for a whole month. Looking back, I honestly didn't really know what to expect, but my time there exceeded any expectations I might have had. Before arriving, I didn't realize how safe I would feel while exploring the big, busy cities as well as the remote countryside. I didn't realize how warmed I would feel by the smiles and respectful bows that strangers constantly greeted me with. I didn't realize that I'd encounter some of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen. I could go on and on, but safe to say, I was hooked. Months later, I found myself boarding another flight to Asia, but this time to Indonesia to improve my photography and to explore a new country. What an amazing experience! The hook sunk deeper. And just recently I bought myself another flight to Asia, this time to Nepal to trek parts of the legendary Himalayas. I'll have gone from never having been to Asia before, to suddenly going 3 separate times in less than a year and a half, and before even departing for my 3rd trip, I already know that three trips is not enough.
"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." -Eleanor Roosevelt Today marks 100 days in which I have not had a drink of alcohol. To clarify, I never planned to quit drinking forever, and I still don't, although the benefits I've noticed by not drinking have been extremely compelling. This initially started as a "Sober September" challenge with friends and morphed into something much more profound for me. Because alcohol is so accepted in our society I feel like the role it plays in our lives is rarely examined on a granular level. And it seems like as long as you're not a problem drinker then there's no problem at all. Pretty soon I will be releasing a blog post on my finance website which goes into much more depth on the topic, as well as the financial implications I observed. Let me know if you'd like to be added to that list. In the meantime, I've come to the pretty obvious conclusion, one in which many have clearly stated before me, that we grow the most through adversity. And if you live in such a safe and comfortable world that isn't providing you much adversity, you may have to create it yourself. That's exactly what I did.
"You are in danger of living a life so comfortable and soft, that you will die without ever realizing your true potential." -David Goggins There's an analogy that comes to mind whenever I see boats out of water. Boats are obviously designed to be in water, to float in water, that's their purpose. However, for a myriad of different reasons, there may be times in which the boat spends time on land. For repairs and maintenance, for transport to a different location, or in this case, simply waiting until the tides rise back up again. Just because it's out of the water doesn't make it less of a boat. It's still a boat regardless. It's just patiently waiting for its return to purpose. And I think many of us, as humans, can benefit from adopting a mindset like this. Just because we are not executing our exact intended purpose every moment of every day doesn't mean we are lesser than. There are times in which we may need some repairs or maintenance ourselves, and that's ok. Perhaps we too need to be lifted up and transported to a new body of water, and that's ok. And maybe we're just on the sideline, patiently waiting for our opportunity to enter the water, and that's ok. Don't be so hard on yourself. And don't be so hard on others. They may also just be waiting for their tide to come in.
"Remember you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens." -Louise L. Hay |
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