Going With the Flow - Part 1

Posted on February 3, 2007 in Happiness/Joy, Positive Psychology, Self-Help, Spirituality, Struggle by Michael.

I really like the analogy of “Going With the Flow.” Do you find this concept difficult in practice? I have in the past and sometimes I still struggle with this. But, I can say from experience, when you are going with the flow it is a wonderful feeling!

Abraham uses this analogy frequently. Imagine yourself facing a fast moving stream. You place your canoe in the water, point it upstream and start paddling as hard as you can. You can sustain this effort for some time. In fact, people will notice how hard you are working and applaud you for your efforts. Of course, this gives you encouragement and you continue to paddle fervently upstream. But it’s really hard. Successes happen only with tremendous effort. You never have a break. It’s a constant struggle.

The other choice is to point your canoe downstream and let the current take you. As you see obstacles ahead, you make very small adjustments in your direction to avoid them. You notice how little effort this is requiring. It almost seems wrong that you are not having to work hard. You are actually having fun, enjoying the scenery and focusing on the journey. Successes come frequently and easily. People will start frowning at you since you don’t seem to have to work very hard. They will call you lucky and try to justify it their minds. But you know that it is simply because you are letting go and allowing life to unfold before you based on your desire.

Think about your choices. Do you want to paddle upstream or let the downstream current take you where you want to go?

Tomorrow I’ll talk about some simple techniques to start shifting your life from an upstream struggle to a downstream vacation.

Have a great day!

Michael


11 Comments »

  1. [...] Going With the Flow - Part 1 [...]

    Pingback by Cloud9000 - Michael » Blog Archive » Snags in the Stream — February 8, 2007 @ 10:10 pm

  2. [...] how I interact with the ever changing world around me. It really has to do with the concept of Going with the Flow. My attitude towards my friends after they explained their new plans was simply; “It must be [...]

    Pingback by Cloud9000 - Michael » Blog Archive » Adapting to Changing Circumstances — February 25, 2007 @ 8:56 pm

  3. [...] Our mind and ego gets in the way of what is good for us. Our inner voice is the one guiding us to Go With the Flow. It really is the voice that can be [...]

    Pingback by Cloud9000 - Michael » Blog Archive » Listen to the Inner Voice — February 28, 2007 @ 9:38 pm

  4. [...] somewhere else. Sometimes the best thing we can do is simply nothing. This is a great of example of going with the flow. Some situations require no action from us, only simple acceptance and relaxation. Let the storm [...]

    Pingback by Cloud9000 - Michael » Blog Archive » 134 MPH — March 9, 2007 @ 9:25 pm

  5. [...] Our mind and ego gets in the way of what is good for us. Our inner voice is the one guiding us to Go With the Flow. It really is the voice that can be [...]

    Pingback by Michael » Listen to the Inner Voice — May 15, 2007 @ 8:23 pm

  6. [...] been thinking a lot lately about the concept of “going with the flow” and how it relates to making decisions. Most of us are constantly making decisions, [...]

    Pingback by Michael » Making Decisions — May 15, 2007 @ 8:58 pm

  7. [...] as they come. You can stand back, observe and not react until you gather all the facts. You can go with the flow. You can become overwhelmed and completely stressed. You can take a walk to think things through. [...]

    Pingback by Michael » Synchronistic Chaos - Part 1 — July 18, 2007 @ 9:22 pm

  8. [...] your life or the flow of your life to be like a stream or river. Going with the flow or downstream is easy, relaxing, effortless and fun. Going upstream is difficult, exhausting, never [...]

    Pingback by Michael » Upstream and Downstream — September 29, 2007 @ 7:39 am

  9. [...] hadn’t thought about. Start off with making general plans, not detailed ones. Then practice going with the flow from that point [...]

    Pingback by Michael » Perpetual Ignorance — October 25, 2007 @ 9:17 pm

  10. [...] Don’t get me wrong. I still have parts of my life thatĀ give me challenges and test my patience. I view those as opportunities to uncover areas I need to develop patience with and practice the technique of “going with the flow.” [...]

    Pingback by Michael » Practicing Patience — December 6, 2007 @ 11:58 pm

  11. [...] times a week. My friendship with them is one of the best examples in my life of the concept, “going with the flow.” What’s even more comforting is that when we finally do connect after long periods, [...]

    Pingback by Michael » Always Friends — February 2, 2008 @ 8:02 am

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