Flow

Movement without deliberation; understanding without concept; performance without effort. Flow represents an intimate connection to the unfolding display within time. Time recedes into the background as immersion into the present moment intensifies. Athletes describe these events with feelings of precognition, knowing what will transpire before it takes place. I have listened to leaders mention a deep sense of certainty and commitment regarding strategy and purpose.

Flow is also more than the traditional notion of being in the zone. I like to think of flow as the Focal Length of Wisdom. When our focus is too inward we are literally living in the past which breeds fear and doubt, leaving us uncommitted to the unfolding present. When our focus is extended too far beyond ourself, without a solid core of experience, we feel overwhelmed and anxious because self is reaching forward into our illusions of time based upon thought and expectation.

While it is insightful to talk about living in the moment, in fact the exact present moment is only a concept. Each person has a unique focal length that balances history with tomorrow. As wisdom increases so too does that persons depth of field within this unfolding called time. As a result, the present includes more of our being. When self definition includes the unboundedness of the Other, which is only possible through dedication to universal compassion, If one where to be fully awake, a 'Buddha', then that energy collapses the mind of history with the unbounded display without time; the eternal river of our Spirit.