Embracing Effortlessness
The thread I seem to be following today is around the idea that we can make the things we do feel effortless by getting into a state of flow (while I’m not currently reading it, the book Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly is an absolute must-read!). Meaning, if you focus and stay present on the work you are doing, don’t add in anything unnecessary, throw away the perfectionism mindset, and get in those reps—you can make your life less stressful, less challenging, and less overwhelmed. These ideas came up both in what I read this morning in Effortless and Seth Godin’s blog Seth’s Blog. Despite it happening over and over again, it is fascinating to me to see these common threads pop up in the books and other media that I consume on a regular basis.
The Power of Repetition
Damien and I had a long chat yesterday about some of this and how it takes people hearing the same message (whether it be from the same source or multiple) hundreds if not thousands of times before it finally lands for them in a way that makes sense for their circumstances, their perspective, their reality. The quote that kept coming up for me during our chat was from Tai Lopez and is something along the lines of “no one can teach, only people can learn” (which I think is based on Socrates' message of “I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think”).
Letting Go of Photography
I have been mulling over the idea of moving away from photography entirely for about 18 months or so. While photography, in general, is something I have always deeply enjoyed, as a service, it has become burdensome in so many ways. After last year’s fall season, Damien and I talked about scaling back or even cutting it altogether. At that moment, I was in a state of loss aversion and stuck in a sunk cost fallacy (read Daniel Kahneman’s book Thinking Fast and Slow for more on this). Because of that, I couldn’t completely let go of all the time, money, and effort I put into building up my photography skills and business. But, as seems to be the way things go for me, more pieces of the invisible puzzle kept coming together, and the very final piece landed at the beginning of the week. All of it made it clear that letting go of photography as a service for our business isn’t a loss—I learned a great deal and wouldn’t take any of it back. It also made it clear it was time to move on—it no longer brings me joy and is not something I can find a state of flow in anymore. It is freeing to have finally gotten to this point. But it took hearing the same message over and over again, in different ways to be able to accept the message I was receiving.
Ponder This
- What activities or work have you struggled to let go of despite knowing they no longer bring you joy?
- Have you found value in hearing the same message from different sources before it truly resonates with you?
- How do you achieve a flow state in your work or personal life?
Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
Books
- Blink
- Effortless
- Misbelief
- Thinking Fast and Slow
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