THE DISCIPLINE AND STRUCTURE OF FLOW
You’re never going to feel successful if you are not in a daily practice of systematically unleashing whatever it is you know you must unleash, and doing so no matter what.
Or as Seth Godin would say – “ship it”.
It’s an absolute myth, and also a straight sabotage to destiny and a life lived from purpose, that you have to be content with your work in order to send it, ship it, put it out there, let it go forth and do ITS work.
Do you wanna know where contentment is SUPPOSED to be found in your day to day hustle AND play?
>>> Contentment is not in the fact that you completed perfect work. Contentment is in the fact that you showed up and did the damn thing anyway. As best as you could today, With whatever flowed through today. The end! <<<
The reason you feel adrift so often, unsure so often, frustrated so often, bound and tied by your own bullshit and FULLY aware that this is going on, yet somehow unable to break loose …
is simply that you do not hold yourself to a daily discipline of unleashing no matter what.
Instead you say “I would have, but I wasn’t inspired”. “I would have, but my day was too busy, I had too much going on, too many appointments to get into my flow”. “I would have, but the kids”. “I would have, but – ”
What? But what?
You would have, but you didn’t. That’s the entire story. No need to add to it. That IS what it is.
Let me help you out though, because I get it. I have lived the pain and turmoil, and it IS turmoil, of being an artist repeatedly not shipping her work. A messenger whose message stays trapped in her soul. A leader who repeatedly fails to step up and lead. And I can tell you that the ONLY way through it is you must just decide you are now done.
Scream it to the heavens with me!
“Do you HEAR me? I am DONE!”
And you must decide you are now the person who does her daily work daily.
Here is how to make it easy:
You discipline yourself to the output outcomes, not to how the art must come out. The art, the truth, the message, we know it has to come out however it comes out. But it is DEATHLY, very literally, to think that that means ‘wait til you know how it wants to come out, or til you feel ready, in perfect flow, and have time’. You will give your life and still be waiting.
Instead, make the rule simple:
Every day I write for about this long. Every day I ship my writing.
Every day I do my video / audio / whatever it is you know you want the OUTCOME of having spoken forth. Every day I press play regardless of how messy my life or mind is.
Every day I do 3 (for eg) definite sales activities / calls to action. I do it no matter what. I say whatever comes through.
Every day I add another building block to my _ insert bigger project/s _. I do it no matter what. I fill the space.
Here’s the thing you gotta understand –
The flow will show up for you when you show up for it. It’s not about finding it. It’s about having a discipline of making space for it. Like me writing this blog first thing with my coffee each day no matter what. Like knowing I am always selling no matter what. Like having a personal policy around so many things I no it is TRUTH for me to output, no matter what. And then all you have to do is FILL the space.
But if you don’t have a rule that the space will be filled,
and if you don’t sit your butt in the chair and require yourself to fill it,
you can’t very well be surprised when you never seem to get to the flow bit.
Flow is built on structure.
And discipline to who you’re meant to be will free you.
[…] daily flow which just […]