UNSTUCK: The FLOW Manifest Series

I am publishing excerpts of my new book tiny bits at a time. I won't tag anyone in these and if you find them by chance - then I hope you will read them. If ever you want a copy of the book; it is yours for the asking. For those who will, I hope you get something out of it.

UNSTUCK: FLOW MANIFEST

UNSTUCK is where creativity and productivity converge.  Mindset meets Actions: it awakens the dormant imagination within, propelling your team and business into more boundless realms of possibility, while grounding your aspirations in actionable steps and accountable measures. This isn't about choosing between being a dreamer or a doer – it's about becoming both

This program is about applying a 7-action framework to your business and life.  Designed to help people like me who were once stuck, get UNSTUCK.  If it seems like every year sees a repeat of the same predictable successes for your business.  That feeling that there is an invisible ceiling while you just know there is untapped potential that you and your team can’t seem to reach. 

This program was designed for you.  Because I have been there too. 

Year after year I would lead planning or innovation workshops for my clients.  Every year I saw the same kind of lacklustre ideas popping up.  It was as if there was some unspoken rule that they could only aim so high and that any future success would have to have been proven as possible before anyone would believe in it.  Or going to the other extreme some groups could be quite good at coming up with very imaginative ideas and BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOALS (as some people used to call them) – yet by the time the sessions were over it was quite apparent they never meant to pursue them. 

The past would predict the future. 

Ideas were either too small or lacked follow-through.

People drank too much coffee and ate too many Danishes.

STUCK.

Let’s get ourselves UNSTUCK now.

Let's begin. What exactly are we looking at here? Might be a book, but seems rather compact for that, doesn't it? Let me explain. This is what I've dubbed the "NARRATIVE"—essentially, the overarching voice-over for a workshop I developed known as FLOW MANIFEST, which I guide individuals and teams through. It serves as the continuous narrative throughout our journey, encompassing the various topics, materials, definitions, and exercises we tackle as a group. Essentially, it's the textual companion to our workshop experience.

This is the PROFESSIONAL or ENTERPRISE edition, focusing on applying key principles to our professional lives and future planning in that arena. This is the version of the program that I take executives and work teams through to create bigger and better outcomes from their work.  Meanwhile, there's a PERSONAL variant, which is more aligned with self-development and work we do on ourselves. Nonetheless, the underlying principles remain consistent across both versions.

We are going to go through a 7 Concept Action Framework.  They are set up as modules that we will go through one by one.  For you reading along, you can work through each of them at your own pace.  There is a workbook you can download that will aid you in doing all the exercises contained in the program.  These are stackable concepts.  I use that word because it means that these are equal parts knowledge, distinction, philosophy, mindset and behaviour.  By going through, you actually begin to create new nuerual pathways in your mind that sets up all kinds of potential in your waking life.  You will see what I mean as you proceed. 

So that is what THIS is.  The running commentary – the narrative of that program.  In the end, it has resulted in a kind of small book.  So for those of you who did not attend the program in person, you can read away. 

WHAT IS FLOW?

Let’s look at a textbookey definition. 

Flow is a psychological state characterized by complete absorption and deep focus in an activity, where an individual experiences heightened mental and emotional engagement. In this state, time seems to distort, distractions fade away, and a sense of effortless control emerges. Flow is often accompanied by a profound sense of satisfaction and productivity, as one's skills are fully utilized and challenged. It's commonly referred to as being "in the zone," where the person is so immersed in the task that everything else becomes secondary, leading to high levels of creativity and performance. This state is not only fulfilling but also contributes to personal growth and skill development.

Sounds like a nice place to be, no?  A great place to visit.  Spend time.  A worthwhile state to pursue. 

And what’s more is almost everyone can relate to it.  We’ve all experienced moments and situations where we had this kind of experience.  Sometimes it seemed to even go on for quite a long period of time – if you use a more extrapolated definition for it.  You can probably recount times in your life where things just seemed to be ‘clicking’.  Living the dream like the T-Shirt might say. 

The idea of being in the zone and being In Flow is something we easily associate with sports.  We’ve seen athletes who, for a period of time or in a single game, seem to be almost flawless in their execution or overcome great odds to ultimately clutch victory.  In those times, it is as if the pressure of competition and all the noise of the world seems to melt away for them – and they seemingly pull off The Impossible.  As you read this there are probably images of some specific athletes and great moments in sports that come immediately to mind.

For all you fellow athletes out there, certainly you can relate this feeling to some of your own performances?  At least once or twice, right?

But I bet you can also see times where this state was happening outside of sports – in your real life.  At work.  In your love life.  Personal achievements, breakthroughs – relationships – times of Peak Performance where time seems to stand still and your efforts appear to just show up naturally, unrushed – an absence of thought – and a feeling of pure connection.

Now what if we gave it another name?  What if we thought of it as POSSIBILITY?  POTENTIAL?  Hell maybe we could even call it LUCK.  The stars are aligned.  Things fall into place.  A long held vision – a personal quest – comes into reach.  Turns into reality.

Even the most sceptical or cynical of you will see times in your life where things just seemed to almost conspire to work out in a way that you could not have dreamed.  

Let’s do that exercise right now. 

Take out a pad of paper or open a document in your computer (for you who are taking the program, you can use your workbook).  Call it WOW. 

But for our purposes, we will go at this a specific couple of ways.

1.     Freestyle.  Write down things that stand out as remarkable happenings that just seemed to work out in your life.  How you got that amazing opportunity.  Or met the love of your life.  Or seemed to be in the right place at the right time.  Write down as many as you can call to mind.

2.     Zero in on ones that seemed like you ‘made them happen’ through sheer desire, will and perseverance.  These are those things that you really wanted…and they happened – even if they took a long time.  And take note especially of the ones that took a kind of crooked route to happen – like it worked out even though at times it seemed like it might not OR it worked out differently than you had envisioned.  But it still worked out. 

3.     Good from Bad.  Now take a special look at a very unique case.  Where something ‘good’ or that you labeled good or that you are grateful for having happened – came about almost directly from something ‘Bad’.  Here is a personal example:  Got fired from a senior job 2 weeks before Christmas, still undergoing chemo treatment for cancer.  Ouch, right? Later that same year I became a freelancer and fully recovered my health and now was making way more money, doing work I loved more and enjoying a sense of freedom I had never before experienced in work.  Find your own examples similar to this. 

Did you notice anything from that exercise?  What patterns were you able to discern?  Did it open your eyes to new ways of seeing and interpreting your past?  Were you able to see that there is a certain energy or momentum that has been weaving its way through the happenings in your life?