Issue #7 - When Joy Goes Missing… Find your Flow!

Last week while traveling, I was assaulted by the worst case of allergies (yes, for melodramatic effect)! ?With hopes of alleviating some of the sinus pressure, after checking into my hotel I headed down to the Men’s area and encountered the attendant – we’ll call him Ralph, who got me squared away. In a span of two minutes, he provided me with everything I needed and proceeded to give me a quick tour. When he was done, I had to ask him, “Did anyone call you to share that I was coming down here?” He replied, “No Sir, and even though we close at 6:00pm don’t worry about rushing—I’ll hang around a little longer if you need the time.” I assured him that I wouldn’t ruin his weekend and would be done before then. There were a few things that stood out to me about Ralph. He was incredibly helpful, and nice. He knew his craft and it was obvious that he had been doing it for a long time. What was more obvious was that Ralph was joyful about what he was doing and how well he was doing it.

Before I left the next day, I found Ralph to tell him how much I appreciated his attentiveness and professionalism, and how he unknowingly helped me get on a path to feeling better. When I asked him where the energy and passion come from and how he keeps it up, he simply shared “Look, I have jeans that are older than you and learned a long time ago that I really get joy out of helping others along their journey. I pay attention to how people enter the area and quickly figure out what things they need to make their experience better. It makes me happy to serve—and I’ve got the perfect job for that.”

Wow.

I thanked him again and went on my way, but not without thinking about how tough it can be to keep that passion going so long while maintaining a high-quality work ethic. This notion is supported by my wholly unqualified research reflective of when I catch up with colleagues and ask the simple question of how things are going. Responses range from, “I’m grinding” to “There’s so much going on, but I’m fighting through it”, and somberly “I’m so tired and am having a hard time keeping up.”

------------

I’ll get wonky on you in a second—but I’ll submit that what Ralph did was he Found His Flow. He focused on his well-being, happiness, and positivity so he can flourish and live a satisfying life. We often get caught up in the journey without understanding the personal cost or impact is to our well-being until we are too deep in the mix (technical term). We often neglect asking the conscious questions until we are too far down the path.

Turns out there is pioneering science on this, led by the late Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian American psychologist who famously said, “The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” Read about him here and here. Csikszentmihalyi, deemed the Father of Flow devoted his life to finding an answer to a simple question: What constitutes a happy life?

As leaders, we often carry a heavier burden to deliver results more than most. The pressures are real, and the work can be difficult. Ralph's example serves as our reminder to seek a core purpose in our endeavors so we can approach each day with enthusiasm, purpose, and JOY! Finding your Flow is about creating optimal experiences for you to perform your best, especially on the days consumed with navigating complexities of our professional journeys. Try it—you’ll be happier. Your family, Ralph, and your cardiologist will all thank you. ??