Strong & Vital, Pt. V - Living in Flow with Your True Self

Beyond the pursuit of physical strength, there's a deeper vitality to be discovered: your natural flow.  This is not about passivity or avoiding challenges, but rather about navigating life's currents with energy and engagement.  It's about recognizing that true strength lies not just in the muscles we build, but in the authentic expression of our truest selves.

It wasn’t until I learned to live in flow, to connect with and trust my inner self, that life began to unfold with a sense of ease and harmony.  I’ve found that midlife, in particular, presents a unique opportunity to embrace this deeper vitality.

As we experience life transitions, we often find ourselves reassessing our priorities, questioning our paths, and seeking a greater sense of purpose.  This is where natural flow becomes invaluable.  It's about shedding the weight of past expectations, releasing limiting beliefs, and creating space for a more authentic expression of ourselves.  It's about recognizing that the next chapter isn't about replicating the past, but about crafting a future that aligns with our evolving values and desires.

Back in Part I of this series, I introduced one of my favorite tools, the Holistic Wellness Spectrum, which I created when I wrote my book, The Athena Principles.

As a reminder, the Holistic Wellness Spectrum is a broad inventory that can help you determine where to begin or boost your wellness journey.  And it’s categorized into three sections:  Vitality, Flow and Connection.

Parts II, III and IV of this series were about Vitality.  We talked about movement, CrossFit and nourishment.  In the next article, we’ll discuss Connection.  But today, it’s all about Flow.

So, what does it really mean to live in this natural flow?  It's a convergence of three key areas:  Simplify, Flow, and Create.  We’ll go through each in detail and give you some practical applications, but let’s start with an overview.

First, we Simplify.  This involves letting go – releasing possessions, relationships, and complicated, old ways of being that no longer serve, as we learn to discern what truly matters to us today.  It's also about embracing presence, being fully engaged in the moment, practicing mindful consumption, and creating supportive morning and evening routines that simplify our mental and physical load.

Next, we Flow.  This is about alignment – ensuring our actions and decisions are in harmony with our core values and authentic self, and then creating an environment that supports us.  It's also about cultivating ease – reducing unnecessary resistance by embracing our own life rhythm and trusting the quiet whispers of our inner wisdom when we need to take action.

And finally, we Create. This is about creating space so we can express who we are and what we feel and think.  This inner exploration leads us to our purpose and the impact we can have in the world.

When we intentionally work within these three areas – Simplify, Flow, and Create – we find ourselves moving through life with a sense of grace, resilience, and profound fulfillment.

With that as a backdrop, let’s explore practical ways to embody these three elements and cultivate natural flow in your daily life.

1. Simplify: Creating Space for Flow

The first step is to create space for natural flow by finding ways to simplify life, focusing on physical, mental, and emotional spaces in your world.  Letting go is a key component.

The easiest place to start with physical possessions.  Challenge yourself to go beyond practical tidying and decluttering techniques and recognize the impact of physical clutter on your mental and emotional well-being.  We all have pockets of physical, virtual and emotional stuff.  What might you be willing to tackle at this time to determine what truly adds value to your life?

Next, consider your relationships.  Identify draining relationships and set healthy boundaries, while you cultivate supportive and uplifting connections.  How can you best choose who you allow into your inner circle?  You can also look at your relationship with yourself.  This includes old ways of being, like outdated beliefs and habits, along with time-consuming, mindless activities.  Discernment in how you spend your time is essential.

Why is it important to simplify, especially during life transitions?  Think of it as creating space for clarity and focus, for your future self to take root.  Embracing presence counteracts the chaos of modern life and transitional change, offering moments of reflection and connection.  In addition, simple morning and evening practices can provide stability and consistency in times of change.

So how do you do it?  Here are three of my favorite ways to simplify and create space:

  1. Physical Space – The One-Drawer Challenge.  Choose one drawer, shelf, or digital folder that’s cluttered.  Set the time for 15 minutes and declutter what you can.  As you sort, ask yourself if the item serves you now.  When the time is up, go back to what you were doing and schedule the next 15 minute session.  Then repeat.

  2. Emotional Space – The Relationship Roster.  Make a list of the people you spend the most time with at work and in your personal life.  Next to each name, note the overriding emotion you feel when you’re with this person. Some people may energize and inspire you, while others may leave you feeling drained.  Determine how you can maximize the former and minimize the latter.

  3. Mental Space – The Time Audit.  For a few days, be mindful of how you spend your time.  Identify one mindless habit that consumes your time, and determine how to funnel that time more productively.

2. Flow: Aligning with Your Authentic Self

Natural flow is also about deepening the connection with your authentic self, which involves both aligned and intuitive living.

Alignment begins with clarifying your core values and prioritizing them in your daily life.  Take a moment to reflect on your current professional and personal activities.  Do they reflect your values, the things that are important to you?  This also applies to your physical and digital spaces.  Are they designed to reflect your truest self, creating a personal sanctuary for reflection and rejuvenation?  If the answer to these questions is no, how do you begin to take steps to toward more alignment?

Trusting intuition is another critical aspect of flow.  One of the gifts of midlife is realizing that the answer isn’t “out there;” it’s “in here.”  As you learn to create space in your life, don’t be surprised if you also get inner clarity when you least expect it, like when you’re walking or driving.  Learning to strengthen that intuitive connection will serve you well.

Another component of flow includes embracing your natural rhythms by broadening your awareness to understand your physical and emotional cues.  It’s understanding your innate energy cycles and honoring them, to the extent you can, as you schedule your personal and professional commitments.

Why are these components important to flow?  Aligning your actions with your core values brings a sense of purpose and satisfaction, while trusting your inner wisdom leads to better decisions and a deeper connection to yourself.  In addition, embracing your natural rhythm will cultivate ease, reduce stress, and promote well-being.

Here are three of my favorite ways to align with your authentic self:

  1. Alignment – Core Values Clarification.  Write down three moments in your life when you felt most fulfilled.  What values were being expressed in those moments?  Use these insights to create a list of your top five core values.  Ask yourself, does my career and my daily activities reflect these values?

  2. Intuitive Living – Intuition Journaling.  Each morning, spend five minutes with this question:  What do I most need to know today?  Jot down any gut feelings or intuitive nudges you experience.  Throughout the day and before going to sleep, briefly reflect on how your intuition is guiding you.

  3. Natural Rhythms – Rhythm Discovery.  Pay attention to your energy levels throughout the day.  Note when you feel most energetic and when you feel drained.  Experiment with scheduling your most demanding tasks during your peak energy times.

3. Create:  Expressing Your True Self

Expressing your true self is vital for living in natural flow.  This involves embracing creative outlets and discovering your purpose and impact.  The therapeutic and transformative benefits of creativity are profound.

Creative outlets encourage exploration of various forms of expression, like writing, the arts, hobbies, personal style, home décor, cooking and gardening, to name a few.  I encourage and implore you to try new things.  It’s a great way to connect with and explore your true self.

It’s been my experience that the deeper you go with creative expression, the more meaning you find in everyday activities and interactions.  It’s a continuous cycle, because your daily experience feeds the creative process.

And that cycle can expand beyond your own life.  As you find more meaning, you may also have a greater the opportunity to explore your purpose and ways to positively impact your community by contributing your unique gifts.

Why is self-expression important during life transitions?  Engaging in creative outlets stimulates the mind and fosters new ideas.  Creative expression allows you to communicate your thoughts and feelings in distinctive and meaningful ways.

Here are three of my favorite ways to create and express your true self:

  1. Creative Outlets – Exploration.  Reflect on your deep desires and choose a creative activity you've always wanted to try, one that gives you energy.  What’s the easiest way to begin to explore this activity?  Schedule 30 minutes to explore, without judgment.  How do you feel as a result?

  2. Creative Living – Inspiration.  Who do you know or admire that lives in a creative way you’d like to emulate? Spend some time determining how to incorporate some of their creative living ideas into your life.

  3. Purpose and Impact – Reflection.  Write down three things you're curious about and/or find compelling.  How can you go deeper with these ideas or incorporate these activities into your daily life?

Some Closing Thoughts

As you journey through your life transitions, remember that true strength isn't about rigid control, but about the fluid grace of living in harmony with your authentic self.  Natural flow, with its pillars of Simplify, Flow, and Create, provides a roadmap for navigating this transformative phase with purpose and ease.

This isn't a destination, but a continuous evolution.  Each moment presents an opportunity to simplify, to align, to express – to rediscover the joy and vitality that reside within you.  By listening to the quiet whispers of your intuition and embracing the rhythm of your own life, you'll find a path that's uniquely yours.

Midlife is a potent time for this exploration.  With years of experience and wisdom as your guide, you have the power to shed the layers of 'shoulds' and 'musts' and step into a life that truly resonates.  Allow natural flow to be your compass, guiding you towards a future that lights you up.  Begin today, with one simple act of simplification, alignment, or creation, and witness the transformative power of living in your natural flow.

Journal Reflections: What can you simplify to create space for flow? What’s one way you can more closely align with your true self? How can you adjust your daily routine so it’s more in line with your natural rhythm

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