Sarah Gregg - Find Your Flow: The Simple and Life-Changing Practice for a Happier You

The Simple and Life-Changing Practice for a Happier You

SARAH GREGG

I ve always wanted to live life to the fullestdo as much as I can with the gift of life without wasting my time or potential. And yet, despite these intentions, I somehow ended up living in a world where I felt overwhelmed and frustrated by life. I was thirty-four and had worked hard to climb the career ladder. I had a great job as a business advisor at a local university, lived in a nice house with my husband, Chris, and drove a good car. For all intents and purposes, my life on the outside seemed normal, so why did I feel unhappy and lost?

On my journey to find the root of my discontent, I realized happiness eluded me because I had attached it to success. I would tell myself that I could relax, be happy, and enjoy life only when I achieved this or gained that. I believed that in order to feel worthy of happiness, everything needed to be perfect. And as a result, I was locked in a never-ending cycle of chasing this perfection. My overreliance on the outside world to provide me with happiness through achievements, accolades, praise, status, and the feeling of superiority had disconnected me from my ability to cultivate happiness.

Those who flow as life flows know

They need no other force.

LAO TZU

I was filled with self-doubt, self-sabotage, self-comparison, fear, worry, and feelings of inadequacy. I compared myself to others and became resentful of their happiness. And what made the process even harder was my inability to tell friends because of the shame and guilt I was feeling. I tried to outrun my uncomfortable feelings with distractions and a busy schedule. But in the months leading up to my thirty-fourth birthday, I became exhausted and feared that if I continued to run away from these problems, I would eventually burn out.

My life felt out of control and alignment and lacked meaning and direction. But at the same time, there was the light of knowing that there was more to life than I was currently experiencing, a hopeful energy that pulled me to explore a world beyond feeling just fine. I knew I had to change, take responsibility, and regain control of my life. I wanted to find a way of living that balanced my everyday happiness with my future ambitions.

Some people think the turning point in my life was when my husband and I sold our house and all our belongings to set up our own businesses and pursue our dreams of combining work and travel. But they are wrong. What really changed my experience of life (inside and out) was discovering the surprising psychology of flow and the secrets it held to living a happy life.

It was psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who first identified and named the psychological concept of flow, hailing it as the secret to happiness in his 2004 TED talk. Flow is a state you can control, create, and experience every day. When in flow, you are able to bring intention, energy, and skills to the present moment that not only bring everyday happiness, but also influence the future and help fulfill your potential.

You may have picked up this book because you want to improve certain areas of your life. Or perhaps you also feel that deep sense of knowing that life can be so much more. Perhaps youve found yourself treating life as a problem to be solved, rather than a gift to be experienced. Maybe youre tired of being stuck in a cycle of unhelpful habits. Or maybe you feel unfulfilled because no matter what you do or how much you have, it never feels like enough. Do you want to feel the harmony of alignment as you consistently focus on what matters most each day? Would you like to fulfill your potential and make your signature impact on the world? And if so, have you opened this book seeking guidance on how finding your flow can help create this change?