Go on a Treasure Hunt

Flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz.
 
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
 
Daily life may be lived as a treasure hunt, finding one gem after another. It is not a matter of what you are doing, it is the attitude with which you approach what you do each day and the focus of attention that you apply to each task.

Yesterday, instead of doing what I previously assigned myself on my to-do list, I chose to do the jobs that were foremost in my mind, the ones that had been niggling at me to get done. My intention was to be fully involved in each thing that I did, whatever that was.

I encouraged myself to focus fully upon what I was doing at the moment. When I wanted a break, I took a break. I tended to alternate physical activity with mental activity.  I pulled my mind away from thinking about the next job, or from thinking about how much else I wanted to get done. 

When I finished one job I moved to the next job that attracted me. By the end of the day I got more work done than I would have otherwise and felt emotionally energized by the process. I was following the energy, allowing myself to be carried by the stream.

This takes a lot less energy than swimming against the current. When you assign yourself jobs that must be done and force yourself to do them, you are swimming upstream, pushing yourself against the energy. This depletes your energy.   

A day spent following the energy from activity to activity becomes a day of discovery, a treasure hunt discovering the gems of flow in each activity that you choose to do.

Flow is attained when you are wholly involved in what you are doing. Mind, body and emotions are flowing together to create what you are doing.  It is a state of Love. You become a channel of loving energy, both giving and receiving. You feel energized. Whatever you are doing becomes imbued with that loving energy.

As a channel of creative energy you serve others as you serve yourself, literally bringing more love into the world. Go on today's treasure hunt. 

Photo by Arisa Chattasa on Unsplash

Your Spiritual Toolbox

Today, find the flow by focusing fully upon the jobs that you want to get done, one at a time.

What is the first job that comes to mind? It is probably the one that has been bothering you. It might be that report you’ve been putting off, or the packed closet that’s been driving you crazy, it might be the cookies you promised to bake for the school fair.

Whatever it is, do that job until it is finished. While you are working stay as focused on the job as possible. If the job is worth doing, it is worth giving it your full attention.

Allow yourself to relax into the energy and flow with the work.

When you are finished with that job, take several deep breaths and thank yourself for your good work, feel appreciation for your effort, and the completion of the job.

How do you feel now? Do you need a break? Take it. You are following the energy of your body as well as that of your attention.

​Does another job come to mind? That’s the job to focus on next.

Treasure is to be found as you give your full attention to what you are doing. That is where you will experience flow and be a channel of love into the world.