The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur

December 14Indescribable Repose

There are some strange summer mornings in the country, when he who is but a sojourner from the city shall early walk forth into the fields, and be wonder smitten with the trancelike aspect of the green and golden world. Not a flower stirs; the trees forget to wave; the grass itself seems to have ceased to grow; and all Nature, as if suddenly become conscious of its own profound mystery, and feeling no refuge from it but silence, sinks into this wonderful and indescribable repose.

Herman Melville—Pierre; or, The Ambiguities (1852)

Do you ever have days like Melville describes here? Maybe on vacation, maybe at your desk. It's funny how sometimes, something like a river kicks in and everything just feels right.

Psychologists and hackers alike want us to believe that we can tap into this mental state they might call “flow” whenever we like by simply putting ourselves in it.

But it might not be that straightforward. It is a natural state, and like any state of nature, you don't control it—you access it by letting go and riding it.

Chances are you find it when you are doing something immersive.

Challenge Question

1. In what aspect of your work do you find yourself letting go and even losing awareness of time and self? Flow is probably there.