In December I spent a lot of time investigating flow. When things flow, they just work. Opportunities fall into place, doors open, things happen, often effortlessly. I’m a very goal orientated person. Goals are an end product, an outcome. But often in the areas of my life where I have made the most progress, I have not had an end goal to reach towards. Instead they have been things were I have paid attention to, and had an intention on, the process. Then things have just fallen into place.
My good friend Mira summarized it beautifully saying “it is not possible to be in the flow when there is skeptical doubt, doubt is the opposite of letting go. To let go of any type of grasping, hankering, distaste, frustration and dullness is to be in the flow.” This non-grasping to the end product, allows flow to happen because you are living in the process, step by step, and logical steps take over, which is ultimately, flow. But there in lies the difficultly. The line between wanting to work towards something, and not grasping to the outcome. Where is that line between flow and intention and really wanting an outcome? KC and I talked about this and she put forth two great questions:
- What is the intention behind the outcome?
- What is being threatened if the outcome didn’t turn out?
These are powerful questions as they call in, an investigation of the outcome.
“The path is the goal, and the goal is the path.”
- The Buddha
Are you getting this from your current read or a conversation? Or both?
Hi Alister. From “dwelling/marinating” and conversations with my friend Mira, and partner Kirsty. I’m trying to think of a book that talks about flow… if I recall I will let you know. Meanwhile, Gil Fronsdal talks a lot about non-grasping. http://www.audiodharma.org He is amazing.
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