Floating vs. Authentic Flow

Floating may seem nice, but you may not be going anywhere.

The gift of perspective can, at first, seem like a hindrance. But when you are pulled out of a situation, even temporarily, you can see it more clearly.

While I was learning WordPress to create my new blog site, I was enjoying both the learning and the creative processes. I know I felt calmer and was enjoying the flow, but it wasn’t until that flow was interrupted that I realized how different this was for me.

Before embarking on this new journey, I was working for several months on writing an intensely complex science and business application for a consulting client. I was using many of my left-brain analytical and writing skills from my years of science and business education and experience. For some reason, which I couldn’t really put my finger on at the time, I felt drained at the end of each day.

It was as if I was floating, going up and down with the waves, which felt like movement. Yet, I wasn’t actually getting anywhere. I wasn’t in that metaphorical lake of the status quo, going in circles and viewing the same scenery over and over. It felt more like a semi-protected sea, larger with more movement, but not an adventure. I was using my knowledge and skills—and I was getting paid.

Six weeks after I completed the project, I was informed that new information was needed in order to properly complete the job. I was not excited about it because I had already begun my new adventure and did not want to be pulled away from it. I also didn’t want to leave the work unfinished or in a lesser state than the best it could be. But I still had this horrible feeling inside.

Then I realized this was a gift to me. It was a clear, side-by-side demonstration of the difference between working on your passion or soul’s calling and plain old work. What kept me going before was the interaction with my colleague and getting paid—maybe reverse that order of importance. My motivator was money, which made my ego feel good, worthwhile and literally worth a specific, not insignificant, amount of money. Wow! Even with that ego boosting, it could not compare to learning WordPress and writing blogs that come from my true self and insights.

What signs or feelings does your body/mind/spirit give you?
Do you pay attention to these signs?
Next time something doesn’t feel good, even if you don’t know why, pay attention.

I was feeling more fulfilled and energized preparing for my new journey than from working in my field of educational expertise! I was in the flow, being carried to new vistas at every turn, rather than bobbing up and down in the same place. I was unknowingly being drained by the consulting work I was doing because it did not feed my soul. I was at the point where I could physically feel the difference, even if I was unaware at the time. Then, less than two months later, I was shown a direct comparison to let me know that I was on the right path.

This was a gift to demonstrate the difference between what truly serves me and what doesn’t, and that will be with me moving forward. I will use this knowledge as an assessment of where I am, for making choices and for course corrections. It is an additional mode of intuitive feedback that my body and emotions have gifted me with. It was right action for me to do the work, and it was right action for me to complete the project. I made that choice, which I could then do with clarity of intent.

When your physical or emotional body is trying to tell you something, listen to it, or at least make note of it. Then, at the right time, you will be able to retrieve that message and decode it. That gift will not be lost. It will grow clearer with hindsight, to help facilitate insight and intuition in the future.

The next time you are pulled away from something or someone, instead of reacting, take a moment to appreciate the new perspective.