So I'm sure we all know that being flexible like water is the best attitude to have in life. To work with the situation and not saying NO to it instead. So I would like to hear if any of you can recommend books on this kind of stuff? I don't think Csíkszentmihályi Mihály's book on flow works for because it seems "limited" to me. What I mean is that... I'm looking for something like being in the flow ALL the time.

It's not enough just knowing something, is there some book out there that has more of a proactive stance on it? I don't want to read some kind of book on just how bad not being in the flow is. I get it. Flow is good. What now?

I hope this is clear. Thanks!

asked 04 Feb '12, 17:43

Ali00's gravatar image

Ali00
608111

edited 05 Feb '12, 02:04

Barry%20Allen's gravatar image

Barry Allen ♦♦
11411


I recommend an excellent book by Julia Cameron called, "The Artist's Way". In it, she describes how to get yourself moving towards a more creative life, and how to get into "flow" and stay there. You can look at it at Amazon here.

I have used this book myself and recommend it highly. It helps "flow" and also gets those creative juices moving permanently. I loved it.

Peace,

Jai

link

answered 04 Feb '12, 18:33

Jaianniah's gravatar image

Jaianniah
37.8k13104607

edited 04 Feb '12, 21:24

Thanks alot for that recommendation! I saw this book a long long time ago and wanted to read it, but forgot about it later. I think this will help a lot! THank you!

(05 Feb '12, 11:03) Ali00

You are welcome! Thanks! <3

(05 Feb '12, 12:02) Jaianniah

For many years, I've been drawn to the ancient classic Chinese work: Tao Te Ching..the title translates as "The Way of Life"

You'll find many ideas about being "flexible" in life (like water) to whatever happens to you in that work, and the many derivations of it.

Human beings basically have two modes of operation. Firstly, a "limited" mode (physical-reality-focused) and an "unlimited" mode (non-physically-focused).

The "limited" mode provides focus, and therefore stability and power, to life but as soon as you focus on something specific, you automatically exclude (or limit) the other things you are not focused upon. (See Why have we accepted limitations on our existence?)

The "unlimited" mode provides a sense of connection to All That Is (The Universe) - it reminds us that we are multi-dimensional beings, and it gives us access to an infinite storehouse of information (through "intuition" and "inspiration"). All the truly great works of art (for example) are considered to be so great because we sense they are expressing physically this sense of unlimitedness.

See So What Is The Now? for some further information on the difference between these modes of operation.

The concept of "Flow" is basically the same idea as operating in this "unlimited" mode. It is exactly the same concept as being "in-the-present-moment".

So any books or philosophies that guide you into being more "present" are also guiding you to being in that "flow" state. Many of the Eastern traditions (Taoism, Buddhism etc) aim to get you there and perhaps works like Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, from what others have said, might also be guiding you towards there (I haven't read that book yet myself).

One thing to bear in mind about being "present" (or in the "flow") is that you'll never be there all the time.

That's not the nature of the illusion of 3D physical reality. After all, if you were in the "flow" state all the time, how would you then know what the "flow" state was? :) It's like if you didn't know what darkness is, how would you know what light is?

But just to complicate things further, there are those who are saying we are now (within the last several months) no longer existing in the illusion of 3D physical reality but in a 4D physical reality where we are projecting the illusion of being in the illusion of a 3D physical reality...so perhaps we now have access to more flexibility regarding our interpretation of the rules of life, like whether it is possible to be more in a "flow" state, than ever before...but that's another story :)

link

answered 05 Feb '12, 01:27

Stingray's gravatar image

Stingray
93.6k22130369

edited 05 Feb '12, 01:31

Excellent answer, Stingray!

(05 Feb '12, 04:17) Jaianniah
Click here to create a free account

If you are seeing this message then the Inward Quest system has noticed that your web browser is behaving in an unusual way and is now blocking your active participation in this site for security reasons. As a result, among other things, you may find that you are unable to answer any questions or leave any comments. Unusual browser behavior is often caused by add-ons (ad-blocking, privacy etc) that interfere with the operation of our website. If you have installed these kinds of add-ons, we suggest you disable them for this website




Related Questions