A few years of the pandemic, in addition to various stressors in my life, has led me to feeling exhausted and somewhat lost these days. I attended a conference (the 2022 Midwest Leadership Summit by Central Exchange) in late April to help me feel more rejuvenated, especially in my work life, and one of the concepts stuck out to me that I think is worth repeating for those of us who are struggling. 

The session focused on reconnecting to your career journey and self-exploration to recalibrate after the pandemic, knowing many people feel differently now about work than they did three years ago. Sabrina Woods did a tremendous job of leading participants through reflection and discussion to center us around who we are and where we want to go. She asked us a series of questions about what we have learned about ourselves in the past few years, how our values/interests/perspectives have changed since the pandemic, what we love about our work, and what talents we enjoy using most. All of these were thought-provoking prompts for me, especially since I hadn’t given myself permission to ask myself those questions since I felt I was “too early in my career” to have changing opinions. (Imposter syndrome, anyone?)

What made me stop in my tracks was the concept of “flow” – something I had heard of before, but never really thought about. I always heard “flow” used as an alternative for “life balance,” and that made sense to me. But what Sabrina said was something deeper – flow is a feeling you have when you are deeply immersed in something. It’s when everything else disappears and you are extremely focused because it’s interesting and challenging to you. 

Here’s the acronym she uses to explain the concept:

F- Focus, immersion, concentration

L – Losing a sense of self and time

O – Oh boy! That’s challenging (the right level of challenging)

W – Wow, I am motivated! (intrinsic motivation – driven from within, “I want to do this”)

Sabrina Woods, Career Counselor

She then asked us what we are doing when we feel “in flow.” Some things that came to mind for me were spending time outside, coaching people in public speaking, helping people, speaking in front of an audience, and spending time with my significant other or friends. Once I started thinking about it, I got so happy thinking about the state I’m in during those times…and it was a wake-up call that I should be feeling those things routinely in my life. Maybe not every moment or even every day, but it should be a weekly occurrence because that feeling is what life is all about – pursuing what we love in ways that are unique to us. 

So I will close with a couple of questions and important thought – what makes you feel “in flow” in your life? Both at work and in your personal life? Are you feeling that in your life on a regular basis (weekly)? How can you cultivate more “flow” in your life?

As Sabrina shared with us, it’s okay if what makes you feel in flow is both rewarding AND energy depleting. Many times, what’s best in our lives can do both of those things. And that feeling of being both fulfilled and tired from an awesome experience is what we should aim for – that’s what it’s all about. Now, go get after it and cultivate flow in your life!