No More “Get It Done.” Get Your Flow State On.
When I coach people on using their natural talents via Clifton Strengths, the #1 talent people in this country have is Achiever. The Achiever’s motto is: “Get it done, get it done, get it done” and not just during the week. They’re even getting “it” (whatever it is) done on the weekends. Super achievers feel like downtime is a huge waste of time.
Except that it’s not.
Downtime allows you to stop, check-in, and feel. We are so caught up in our mind and our “to do'' lists that it keeps us from being in a flow state. “Doing” all the time blocks us from our potential, our opportunities, our greatness, and our dreams.
SO WHAT’S A FLOW STATE?
‘Flow states’ are pretty much like being in the zone — where all pistons are firing and time seems to stand still. You move through the task without distraction or even wondering what to do next. You experience producing results without much effort or force.
We’ve all had that experience but most of us have no idea how to tap it on demand. Tapping into the “flow” starts with sitting still and being quiet. When we are still, we can be present. When we are present we can tap our creative consciousness. When we are busy, our minds are sooo preoccupied with everything we have to do and handle, we squash our creativity.
I created the Awaken Your Greatness Challenge by sitting on the couch, staring at the garden of flowers on my balcony, writing in my journal, drawing pictures, figuring out how things connected and saying things out loud and testing them. My process required stillness, reflection, and thinking — all in the morning because that is when I am at my most creative.
I coach my clients to schedule strategic thinking time into their week. Thinking time is enormously important for leaders at every level. We don’t take enough time to think, reflect, wonder, or ponder. That time is important to being in the flow state. That flow state leads to greater productivity, greater creativity, and so many other things.
THE BENEFITS OF FLOW STATES
Here’s what the experts know about the benefits of flow-states:
Better emotional regulation
More overall happiness
Greater enjoyment and fulfillment
Higher intrinsic motivation
Increased engagement
Improved performance
Continued learning and skill development
Expanded creativity
Plus, your brain gets high off this. Seriously.
Research has shown changes in brain activity during flow states, some of which involves an increased amount of dopamine being released. Dopamine is the chemical involved in pleasure and motivation.
Being in the flow is dope, yo.
(Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
What I love about this list of benefits is that every single one of them can be applied to every area of our lives. I mean, we all want more emotional regulation across the board, right? Not just at home, or at work, or at the board meeting. We want happiness. We want greater fulfillment and improved performance.
Flow states (or being in the zone) isn’t just good for one place or the other. No matter where or when you experience a flow state, it has long-term and far-reaching positive impacts on the YOU of RIGHT NOW and the FUTURE YOU.
HOW DO WE ACCESS THE FLOW?
Stop worrying about the future. When we worry, we are worrying about something that hasn’t even happened yet. Either fix the problem if you can, or let it go because all the worry in the world won’t solve your situation.
More important? Be present. This starts with letting go of all of your ‘yeah buts,’ ‘how abouts’ and all the busy-ness of life.
Two simple rules but still no clear path to access either.
So how do you invite the flow in? How do you set yourself up to get into the zone?
To surrender to the flow you’ll need to:
LEAD FROM YOUR HEART
You’ve gotta get in touch with your body and out of your mind. Not everything is led by your mind, thoughts, analytics, numbers, etc. It’s time to connect with your heart. It’s time to notice how you feel, not just what you think.
LET GO OF PERFECTIONISM
Then, it’s time to relinquish perfectionism. And shoulds. Musts. Have-tos. It’s time to release the judgment and comparison of yourself against others. When you’re no longer comparing yourself, you’ll have created new and more space for productivity, performance, and better results.
LISTEN FOR THE GOLD
Third, learn how to listen for the gold. To see the rewards around every corner, the opportunities at every bend, or to simply be able to look at something differently, with more understanding, or compassion, or willingness to hear.
These are three skills to learn, practice, and apply so you can experience more flow and therefore more happiness, well-being, inner connectedness all while you go after your dreams, awaken your greatness, and unleash your untapped brilliance into the world.
READY TO GET INTO FLOW AND AWAKEN YOUR GREATNESS?
These just so happen to be the three skills that my recent 30-Day Awaken Your Greatness Online Challenge focused on. Why? They are guaranteed to help you build a foundation for success that will help shape your future (generally) and the future of your flow states.
When I first thought-up the challenge, I had one theory: when we remember to celebrate who we are instead of questioning and doubting ourselves, then we are free to make the impact we want to make in the world. So when I started to develop what the challenge, I knew that these three things were key.
In reality, I had no idea if this challenge would be successful. But I went for it anyway because I was committed to awakening the greatness in others. If I had been trapped in worrying about whether it would work, overanalyzing it and obsessing over every detail,
I never would have created the challenge in the first place.
Lost in the mental noise and focused on being perfect, I would never have gotten into flow. I wouldn’t have been practicing what I was about to teach (leading from the heart and letting go of perfectionism). I never would have launched.
And if I hadn’t launched the challenge, 50 people’s lives would’ve been business as usual. 50 people would not have been trained to let go of being perfect. A team of 12 would not have elevated their leadership as they moved into a strategic planning period at their company. 50 people would not have learned how to listen for the gold in what other people are saying.
There wouldn’t have been 1,087 reported wins or 1,908 high-fives. There wouldn’t have been 6,287 actions taken toward greatness. More importantly, people like Shoshanna, Maci and Erin (below) wouldn’t have experienced a meaningful impact on their daily lives.
“This was a surprise – every Ted Talk in the challenge changed the way I thought. The content was brilliantly put together and it will change the way I think forever. Jen’s promise was right – give her 30 days and she’ll transform your life. It was true!
-Shoshanna F.
"The biggest benefit of the Challenge was the consistency it created for me and the habit of intentionally looking back at my day and honoring and recognizing myself for all the good I had put into the world."
-Maci O.
"The biggest benefit of the Challenge was recognizing just how often I forget to celebrate my wins. I am always cheering on others and their wins, but this made me take time to do the same for myself."
-Erin O.
You can commit to awakening your own greatness by joining me for my next 30-day challenge. The question is – will you choose to?
I promise you won’t be the same human in 30 days. You’ll be a great human in flow with the world around you.
Hit me up if you’re interested and let me know you want in! I’ll be sure to get in touch when registration is open!