Many of us have already come to the realisation that we might be happier if only we could relax our minds a little. We’re aware that many of the difficulties we face are not out there but within the boundaries of our brains. Perhaps we intuitively know that dealing with it could even lead us to work and life with purpose we desire.
We’ve tried meditation, where for moments we give ourselves a break and are released from the tyranny of the survival mind, which constantly keeps us on the hamster wheel of our lives. We can release our mind’s tight grip on life for a few moments at a time. However, when we get off the cushion we hold on ever tighter.
Surely it’s possible to go through life with a bit more ease, experiencing greater peace along the way.
How often are you fully present, energised, alert and with your mind completely relaxed and enjoying the moment?
It’s wonderful to be in such an experience of effortless action/creation; a state of Flow.
For most of us, this tends to be fleeting moments, compared to the majority of time spent with our minds burdened, struggling against life.
But how can we practically expand our experience of Flow. So that we create the best version of the life we can live and do our greatest and most purposeful work, while we’re here?
I’ve been sitting with this question recently and this article is a reflection on how we can connect the dots between Flow, Presence, and Creativity.
I want to put forward the possibility that we could live in Presence and doing so would not only give our minds a break, but it’s the way to create the lives we deeply want, including work with purpose.
Co-create in harmony with Life
If we look at life, there is a natural order of things. The river flows to the ocean, things fall down not up, and the seasons come and go, repeating in an endless cycle.
Only us humans have created visions of how things are which are not aligned with the true nature of things.
We spend our lives stuck in an unreal past and projecting a future based on that.
It goes deep, to the very nature of who we think we are, somehow separated from the process of life.
We tend to compartmentalise everything, and through this lens, from this identity of separation, we create, with its resulting dissatisfaction and suffering.
I believe we can live in tune with the natural order. We can re-establish the harmony in our minds, with our true nature, and with why ultimately each one of us is here in this reality.
We can re-enter the Flow of Life, through Presence.
Presence or Flow – which comes first?
This is a bit of a chicken-and-egg type of question! Funny, because my mind was stuck pondering this for a while before I caught its futility.
There is only Flow. This is the reality of the Universe. It is an unfolding process, of which we are an intrinsic part.
The experience of Flow comes from and is the place of Presence. When we are at the still point of observation, witnessing the process, we are the Awareness in which everything is occurring. Going beyond our personal perspective we experience Flow.
Flow and Presence are when the clouds of our ego part, and we experience the sunshine of our Being.
Creative Challenge
But how do you live a life that aligns with your highest potential, when the identity with which you’re creating has no idea who you really are, or what your highest potential really is!?
This is the dilemma of trying to create work with purpose while operating from the ego!
Your personality has a restricted view of what’s desired or achievable. Even if sometimes it pipes up that it knows, and that it can do anything. It’s still coming from its narrow perspective, and it’s only trying to cheerlead you on.
As we allow our sense of self to expand beyond the confines of our personality, we start to include more of what’s possible.
Our creativity expands as we start tapping into Creativity itself.
Case for Presence
We tend to feel like we have a semblance of control, and we think we know where we’re going. In fact, to get anywhere, we believe we need to know!
This was my normal way of operating from my limited perspective. However, over time I’ve discovered that this way of creating my life is restricted, because it is based on what I already know and believe about myself, i.e. the past!
We project this past into the future, like the third sequel of a movie. We plan and worry about the future, subconsciously wondering if it will turn out like the past. All of which leads to a survival mentality, causing a not so peaceful or harmonious experience of life.
As the song says… Let it go!
The alternative is that we can learn to surrender, be present with each moment, listen to and move with the flow of life, our potential and essential identity.
There is so much more possibility in letting go and stepping into a place of not knowing, of first being with what is. As we do, we move beyond the past (the same old story) and our ego identity.
Flow, Presence and Creativity
In a previous article, I outlined an expanded view of Flow, where it is not just a temporary state but can be a way of being and living.
In this broader view, what we can see is that Flow, Presence, Mindfulness and Creativity are intimately connected.
Presence is an experience of Mindfulness, of being aware of what’s happening in the moment, including the aspects of bodily sensations, emotions and thoughts, without preference.
It is resting in Awareness, giving us a taste of Being, which is our essential identity, or your being if you want to personalise it!
Imagine…
You’re aware of what IS in this moment, and you are fully allowing what is happening without any resistance.
If this is not Flow, then what is?
Gifts of Presence
Don’t forget that your life is made of little moments, well actually, just one. This one!
So, if this moment has a certain quality to it, so will most likely the following ones. They build into our a meaningful life, a beautiful work of art, if we are paying attention.
Presence is a key to this.
A place where we can put aside the ego, with its limitations and fears and instead respond to life before us, in the moment, expanding our possibilities.
In Presence, your bigger identity, a greater I, leads the creation of life from your highest potential. Resting in this I, you access a lot of powerful I-words: Inspiration, Intuition, Improvisation, Insight, Innovation and Imagination.
By spending more time in Presence, in effect we become attuned to the one Universal process, accessing the intelligence of the Universe to guide and create through us.
It is like letting Creativity and Inspiration, do your thinking for you.
This is an experience of Surrender and Grace.
What if your life could be one continual Flow? A magical story that keeps unfolding moment to moment, into ever greater adventure, to your greatest expression, and most amazing life, which naturally includes doing the purposeful work you’re here to offer the world.
Flow is when you get out of your own way, and allow Life to create through you.
A Simple Guide to Moving into Presence
To be in Presence we need to be aware of not only what happens outwardly, but also within our own personalities.
You can ask yourself two simple questions to help you become Present:
- What am I experiencing right now? (This includes noticing any body sensations, emotions, and thoughts).
- How do I feel about what I’m experiencing?
The goal is not to think about these experiences, or even to change anything, but to observe them directly and notice your attitude towards them.
In my experience, just this act of observation starts to loosen and unravel where we are stuck in life. It invites us into new ways of thinking, being and doing, which in turn change the situations of our lives.
Path to Peace, Prosperity and Work with Purpose
You have access to Presence in any moment. It is like the Silence that is always there beyond the noise of our minds.
Presence is the bearer of many gifts and can transform life into a state of creativity, ease, and fulfilment.
By releasing the ego’s grip on control and aligning with life’s natural order, we can move beyond past limitations and fully engage with the present moment, discovering ourselves anew.
This shift allows us to access a broader potential where intuition, inspiration and universal intelligence guide us.
Living in continual Flow and Presence, we can experience each moment as a step towards creating work with purpose and a meaningful, soul-aligned life that reflects our highest self.
Once you get a taste for Presence, you find its peace, you don’t want to go anywhere else.
