Hello ….how are you today?

This week we’re going to dive into each of the 7 maxims that I talked about last week. I’m going to share with you some practical examples to promote a state of Flow. 🏄🏻‍♀️

Remember that you can access the first part of the topic in this other blog: Flowing with life - Part 1

You can listen to the podcast with this player, or if you prefer reading you have a written version below. Enjoy it!

In his book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experiences", psychologist Csikszentmihalyi, explains that people are happier when they are in a state of flow, which he describes as follows:

"[Flow means] being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost."

As I mentioned, in a state of flow, anything is possible.

Shall we see how we can get “in the zone"?

1. PRACTICE THE SACRED PAUSE TO LIVE IN MORE HARMONY. LEARN TO LEAVE A SPACE BETWEEN THE STIMULI WE RECEIVE AND OUR RESPONSE

Practice mindfulness, develop your conscious presence in the here and now, and leave a space between stimulus and response.

Are you in a work meeting? Pause and breathe before answering. Have you gone out with friends? Offer them your active listening and pause before giving your opinion.

You can meditate for 5-10 minutes every day. When you subscribed to this newsletter, you received a Mindfulness guide as a gift; those minutes will calm you down.

Treat yourself with compassion, pause before whipping yourself. Learn to treat yourself as you do with the people you love. Put both hands on your chest and say "I love you, I understand you, calm down", that will create your sacred haven.

Practice contemplation and prayer if you have faith. This helps you surrender, trust, calm yourself, and reorganize your energy in such a way that you choose calm and grace above all else.

Rest. Do you need to sleep 20 or 30 minutes after lunch and you can do it? Do it. Go to bed at a time that allows you to rest all you need before getting up.

2. BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR GOALS AND TRY TO MOVE IN THEIR DIRECTION FROM A VISCERAL AND SELF-FULFILLING PLACE BUT NOT TO FEED YOUR EGO.

Be clear about what you want, what strategy you’ll implement and how to move in that direction. If you missed the blog “I can’t manifest what I want" published a couple of weeks ago, I recommend you read or listen to it, the topic was precisely this.

Focus on doing from a place of personal growth and self-fulfillment. More often than not, we put all our machinery in motion to be recognized, so that our ego is satisfied but that isn’t what we need to be in a state of "flow".

Connect with what you really want without waiting for external approval. Put your heart and your head in your endeavor. If you get recognition for it, enjoy it, of course, but let your actions be guided by your deepest needs.

3. FIND THE MOMENT OF THE DAY WHERE YOU FEEL THE GREATEST PEAK OF CONCENTRATION AND TRY TO USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.

Start working towards what you want in the time slot where you are the most attentive: Morning? Afternoon? Night?

Try to turn off all screens in that time slot, and if you can't, choose the most important ones. Save social media for idle time.

Find a place where you won’t be interrupted. Working in isolation is essential to put some distance between yourself and your daily concerns. Mind you! You may be in a common area surrounded by people and that’s fine. The important thing is that you try to set mental boundaries for yourself.

4. TRUST YOURSELF AND DARE TO GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. JUST A LITTLE, NOT THAT MUCH THAT YOU END UP FEELING OVERWHELMED.

Trust yourself and do something that requires a little more than what you usually do. Growth lives outside our comfort zone, Tony Robbins tells us.

Dare to be wrong, it is the best way to learn.

Remember: when we learn to tolerate some uncertainty in what we do, we experience the greatest fulfillment. Shake yourself, kick down the cardboard walls. We mistake staying in our comfort zone for safety. There’s no flow possible there.

5. SEEK ENJOYMENT IN YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE DELIBERATELY.

Choose to be in a good mood, it’s the first step to be more creative.

Plan to do a physical activity that makes you smile, have fun, savor the moment, and practice it every day.

Exercise increases the hormones that make us feel good: serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins and dopamine. This increases our creativity. If you are like me, start with something short but sustainable every day.

Recharge your batteries the way only you know how to do it. This creates a very healthy space in your brain and makes it more receptive.

6. PRIORITIZE WHAT IS MOST VALUABLE TO YOU AND LEARN TO SET HEALTHY BOUNDARIES TO AVOID FEELING OVERLOADED.

Your values ​​are not negotiable. Put them first on your list and feel confident to say no to the demands that put them at stake. If you don’t say “no”, and risk what you value the most, you will be at an emotional crossroads that will only bring you suffering.

For example: Love and connection with my family is my number 1 value. If I give 100% of myself to something, I accept all the external requests I get (and internal ones, if I get very self-demanding) and leave my family aside, I’ll be sacrificing what I value the most and I’ll end up resenting what I do.

Have the courage to set boundaries to be able to love yourself, even at the risk of disappointing others. I'm not talking about being selfish but about knowing how to say this is "enough" when you start to feel that the situation is overloading you.

Simplify to amplify. Less is more. Jack-of-all-trades is the master at none. Popular wisdom reminds you daily. The more you do, the less you can dedicate to each task. Prioritize and dive into your activities.

7. BE AWARE OF YOUR RELATIONSHIPS AND CULTIVATE THOSE THAT ARE HEALTHY AND LOVING.

Respect yourself. Your family and social dynamics will influence your feelings and even your actions. Don't get carried away by relationships that ask for more than you can give - more patience, more time, more service, more fulfillment. The people who love you will always be mindful of your feelings.

Honor your emotions and be more present, more serene, and more lucid with those you love. This isn’t about not being there for those who need us. It is in giving that we grow the most and find more meaning. Nevertheless, if you tend to seek acceptance and be a people pleaser, you might end up surrounding yourself with toxic people.

Choose the relationships that lift you up, not the ones that bring you down. Tony Robbins says: "The quality of a person's life is very often a reflection of his/her peers’ expectations”. Do you remember the famous proverb "a man is known by the company he keeps"? Food for thought on this topic.

Surround yourself by the people who embody the qualities that you value the most. For example, respect is fundamental for me, I couldn’t hang out with someone who criticizes people or who is discriminatory.

AND NOW ... LET’S START PRACTICING IT!

I hope that these very concrete examples, help you to see how to promote getting in a state of flow. This isn’t achieved by pressing a button but these practices will make it possible.

Remember that flowing with life or entering a state of flow isn’t limited to feeling good and enjoying work. It is proven that in a state of flow, we perform really high. You just need to look at athletes and artists to corroborate it. Now it is your turn to experience it!

A big hug ❤