Today started off as a bad day. The winter snow has been on the ground for over 2 months. It has not gotten above freezing since late last year, and I have not had a good run for over a month. What I really want to do is pull the covers up over my head and stay in bed for the day.
I manage to haul myself out of bed and start my day. The morning drags on and I work through the tedium of tasks. Woe is me. After lunch though, two events happen. First, the sun peeks its head out and lights up the sky, activating the running urge. The second, I follow a link on my twitter feed to a podcast from Runners Academy about how to run your best by Flow expert Steven Kotler. Then it hits me; I usually find Flow when I am running. (Although, one can find it wherever one is at their best, gardening, playing music, or surfing.) In Flow my body releases all of the great chemicals that help me feel good, that change my thinking, I am lost in the moment, lost in the task, all of that stuff I have been talking about in #LeadershipFlow blogs. I quickly lace up my running shoes and I am out the door and down the road.
Minutes later, it starts to show up, that feeling of power and positivity that I crave – and that comes when I run. My thoughts quickly turn to what is possible, the dread of the morning disappears, my body comes alive and I run for an hour. The rest of the day is bright, alive, and productive.
What was different in me between morning and afternoon? Flow. Finding Flow in my run shifted my body, it shifted my mood, it shifted my thinking. And the beauty of Flow, is that it is waiting for me on my next run. So my question to you is, what unlocks your Flow? If you do not know, then it is time to start to explore it. If you do know what unlocks your Flow, what is stopping you from grabbing that key today and using it to lift you to a more positive and productive place? As for me, tomorrow is another day – for a run.
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