You Flow, Girl

You know when you see someone who is just fantastic at something, and passionate about it, yet it seems to come naturally?  That's  sometimes referred to as "Flow" in positive psychology. The image of an Olympic gymnast always comes to mind when I think of  flow, as they do a double back flip with a perfect landing, as if bodies were just made to do such things! It's easy to picture in athletic terms, and we often hear an athlete is "in the zone."  But what about in regular, everyday type terms? 

Here are a couple of examples of people being in flow that I've witnessed lately: 

My friend Christine is very passionate about exercise, her relationships, and her faith. She combines all of these by teaching a fitness class that is in a candle-lit room, and includes prayer and inspiration throughout. Going to her class makes me feel cared for, inspired, and also sore because it's a great workout. Watching her teach is just like watching water flow in a stream, she is completely in the zone, sharing with the world exactly what gifts she was given. 

My cousin Amy absolutely loves books and reading, and has since we were kids. She also loves to talk to and listen to people. She is a high school Librarian (actually, now it's called a Media Specialist), and she has led the renovation of their library. She had tons of old shelves and books removed, reorganized the books into a "bookstore model" and chose furniture that was modern and welcoming. Students are now allowed to talk softly to collaborate while in the library. All of these changes have made the library a much more popular place to be, and have encouraged students to enjoy books. Asking Amy for a book recommendation always makes me want to read all of them, because she has such a depth of knowledge and so much passion for them. She is in flow!

Witnessing someone else in Flow makes me feel energized and inspired, too.  I'm betting this little girl is in flow when she's inventing something, like these wings. Don't you just want to follow her to see what happens next? Another key to the flow feeling is losing track of time, in a good way. 

Can you think of some of your own examples of watching someone in flow?

Do you know when you are in "flow"?

What are your special gifts that you are meant to share with the world?

If you don't know your gifts, or know them but don't know how to share them with the world, work with me and I'll help you figure it out!