Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.
Lao Tzu - 571 BCE – 471 BCE
Lao Tzu was expressing a core Taoist principle: wu wei, often translated as non-resistance or effortless action, which refers to the understanding that life itself is sufficient.
There’s no need to impose control, struggle, or artificial strength upon situations. The universe has its own unfolding wisdom.
Lao Tzu shows, that those who know, how this life flows,
Need not know, of this life’s woes,
By choosing to pose, as they suppose
What comes and goes, is how life grows.
Where across the course of your day today, could you consider where it might be that you have evidence of the ebb and flow of your life?
Ebb and flow refer to the natural rise and fall of energy, progress, emotion, or life events. Sometimes you're advancing (flow), sometimes you're retreating or resting (ebb).
As you move through your day, you will notice signs that your life has natural rhythms, action and pause, connection and solitude, success, and setbacks.
Trying to make too much sense of these changing tides can sometimes take you well out of your flow state.
The comeback is always greater than the setback, but you can’t force it.
Where across the course of your day today, could you consider where it might be that you know exactly how you feel when your life flows?
Flow state is a psychological condition where you're so fully immersed in what you're doing that time seems to disappear, distractions fade away, and you perform at your best with minimal conscious effort. Often described as being “in the zone,” it’s a blend of focused concentration, enjoyment, and optimal challenge.
The term was popularised by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who identified flow as one of the most powerful and fulfilling states a human can experience.
Key features of flow state, as identified by Csikszentmihalyi, include intense focus on the present moment, clarity of goals and feedback; you know exactly what you're trying to do. There is a balance between challenge and skill, where the task stretches you but doesn’t overwhelm. Additionally, there is a loss of self-consciousness. You’re not overthinking, and there is a distorted sense of time; in that time feels faster or slower, and the intrinsic reward of the activity itself feels satisfying.
Where across the course of your day today, could you consider where it might be that you recognise where “well-meany” people are trying to break your flow state?
By “well-meany” people, I’m not suggesting I have a cold, but that “well-meanies”, do well at being mean.
Mitfreude is a German term that translates to "joy with" or "joy in the joy of others."
Mitfreude is about genuinely sharing in someone else’s happiness or success, feeling uplifted because they are thriving. It reflects genuine compassion and connection, where another person’s gain doesn’t diminish you; it enriches you.
The opposite of Mitfreude is Schadenfreude.
Schadenfreude is a German word that means taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune.
It’s the subtle (or not-so-subtle) satisfaction people sometimes feel when they see others fail, struggle, or experience setbacks. Whether it’s laughing when a rival stumbles or feeling secretly pleased when someone is having a tough time of things. Schadenfreude taps into a darker, competitive side of human nature.
The person who asks RUOK with a tone of condescension.
I keep bumping into a “well-meany” character that I know lately, and for the past few occasions, they have Schadenfreuded me to Scheisse.
Yesterday morning, I woke up after a whole night of uninterrupted sleep, dressed to the nines for my first session with a new client. I met a good friend for a post-holiday, post-resignation coffee catch-up, who, mitfreudingly, praised me on my dapper-looking jacket and paid for my coffees. I had just picked up my winner stickers from the printer to affix to the book covers of each participant in a large workshop on Thursday.
Only now, as I am writing about flow, did I remember bumping into “well-meany” on my way to my next appointment because I was in such a state of flow, I hadn’t even recognised their attempt at Schadenfreude until I recalled that I can’t remember a word they spoke to me, only that they couldn't have expressed less pleasure in my stickers if they knocked them out of my hands.
I was in a state of flow, and the force was with me!
And as far as Lao Tzu’s wu wei goes, one of my favourite yesteryear bands, The Hoodoo Gurus sang a song which summed it all up wu wei
While you’re thinking about that, think about this and have a Gr8 day!
Be well.
DL
“Flow is the process of achieving happiness through control over one's inner life.”
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - 1934 - 2021.