Go With the Flow

Whether it’s sports, painting or something else, engaging in an expansive activity will lead you to a more balanced, centered and sane life.

Some of our previous articles noted the benefits of meditation, one of the best ways of opening ourselves up to experience the fullness of who and what we are. If you’re looking to experience more flow, we suspect that meditation is one of the single most effective methods of creating that outcome. But just because […]

Identify an appealing activity that you can consistently incorporate into your regular routine.

Our most recent article, “Flow in Uncertain Times” — read it at bit.ly/TVBFlow — reviewed the key elements of the flow state. When in flow, we are likely to: Have clear goals that we are inspired to pursue. Experience a deep focus of attention and effectively tune out distractions. Be fully present and accepting of […]

Rather than being overwhelmed by a unique and daunting situation, practices and their owners seemed to tap into their inner reserves and resources and then meet the challenges with agility.

The last few months have been unique in their level of disruption of behavior patterns, norms and lives across the globe. It’s easy to occasionally become overwhelmed by both the magnitude and rapidity of the events that unfolded and continue to unfold. So, discussing “flow” in the context of recent national and global events might […]

Most people and teams default to some variation of “no” or “yes, but.” The alternative is your ticket to resilience and peace.

In rapidly changing and uncertain circumstances, the practice of “Yes, and” and the related principles of improvisational theater provide a refreshing and hopeful alternative to the human tendency to react based on fear or a desire to maintain control. When it comes to being present in the moment, letting go and trusting the process, and […]

Some of our richest and most helpful learning comes after our failures or someone else’s. A little humor can help.

This time around, we’re focusing on a potentially more sensitive topic: the consequences of judging others and ourselves. As always, the intent behind the thoughts we share here is to support more “flow,” or the state where we are fully present and meeting the challenges of the moment with a calm, clear focus and access […]

The cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar can rob us of our sense of curiosity, joy and wonder.

Wholeness, which we’ve explored in previous articles, is the need to feel sufficient as an individual and connected to others as part of something larger. Most importantly, from our perspective it’s about striking a balance between being and doing. Success in life and work depends on your ability to focus on who you are being, […]

If you’ve reached your mental limitations, get centered, exercise self-compassion and remember to do something fun every day.

One way to bring more flow into your life, as our column has explored, is to be aware of and hopefully avoid the states of mind that are incompatible with flow. In our last column, Jeff shared his brush with burnout and his insight into how to heed the warning signs. This time, Trey will […]

Recognizing signs of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion is the first step in returning to your natural flow state.

Are you having fun in your work and life? If not, you might be on a path toward burnout. Anyone who’s spent time camping in the woods will likely recognize Smokey Bear’s admonition: “Only you can prevent wildfires.” As the incidence of burnout rises steadily in our profession, it’s important that we learn to become more […]

Self-esteem can leave you when you need it most, so try building more self-compassion into your daily experiences.

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” — Buddha If you had to choose between feeling good about yourself or forgiving yourself and accepting yourself completely, exactly as you are, which would you choose? Would you rather feel good about yourself or have compassion for yourself? Would […]

Compassion, curiosity and courage are a potent antidote to the common fears that can paralyze us as human beings.

We’ve been focusing lately on the first two components of emotional agility: compassion and curiosity. Now, we turn our attention to the final component, courage. “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” — Maya Angelou As Maya Angelou suggests, courage is an essential […]