Effort and Flow

"Rowing is the only thing keeping rowers from taking over the world. If we put as much effort into anything else as we do this sport, cancer would be cured, world huger would be solved, and the stars would align."
- Anonymous, U.S. National Crew Team

Lately I have been thinking about the ideas of Effort and Flow. The Eastern world says that the best way to be productive is through Flow while the Western world think that Effort is the way to really get things done. I think both concepts have their place in the world of "getting things done" but both have a specific context in which they should be applied.

When I think of the essense of what Effort is about, it's more about intention than clubbing something to death for the sake of the clubbing. Effort in my mind means you set an intention that is reasonable and achievable in the present, and you don't let internal things get in the way of fulfilling that intent. For example, if I am going to go for a 10 mile run I am not going to let fatigue or "not feeling good" get in the way of completing that run. I may have to walk for a few minutes and gather myself, but I am going to finish the run.

Flow is sort of the flip side of the coin of Effort. When I think about the essence of Flow, it means that you create space for new possibilities and ideas to be part of the process. Flow is about exploring what is possible in the context of working towards something auspicious. Often times when this occurs, it almost feels like the new "thing" that is added to the process came through you and not from you.

Still playing the waiting game here, and still rolling with Uncertainty. It gets easier with practice. Looking forward to getting some vacation in next week, recharging my emotional batteries, and catching up with some old friends.

Namaste

Continuum

"Four laps to go. Four laps to define a place in this world. Four laps to justify an existence."
- taken from Gold in the Water by PH Mullen

"There is nothing good or bad, merely opportunities to learn. A victory or a loss is merely one moment in time. A victory disappears as soon as you cross the line. We are defined in terms of the dynamic summation of our lives. One moment can never summarize an individual."
- Dick Jochums as told to Gordon Byrn

Well, the past few days I have pretty much been out of commission. I made it to work each day last week with the exception of last Thursday. The marathon training is on hold until this Saturday morning where I will probably get in 6 to 10 miles. I'll make up for the training with heavy running next week when I am in San Francisco.

Anyway, I got into work at 6 AM today, got all my work done by 3:30 PM and had a few minutes to take a look at some of my favorite motivational material. I really liked the quotes at the top of the page. It's odd how some people can determine the succes of their life on a few moments, while others are hyper aware of how the world we operate in is a continuum.

That's all I got tonight. Tomorrow I will swim in the morning, get a big cup of coffee afterwards, then finish a project that I have in the works, then meet a friend of mine for dinner tomorrow. Should be a great day.

Namaste