Just Let Go
Mike’s Blog 141
Processing Thoughts In a Flow State
Fight club. An amazing movie that I have watched way too many times. We need to just let go and be who we are. And I have used this so many times for a flow state. I am wondering how to keep the juices flowing after an intense week long conference with a ton of pressure in my mind.
Get things rolling by starting. I try to get into a flow state as soon as I start my work day. Do the morning routine. Have my tea – and blast off. Get into the software of choice for writing and just let go. Let the hands do the typing and get those words out of your brain. Don’t stress about it being perfect – this is something you can tell I do well I am doing it right now.
Let the magic happen and the brain juices come out onto the screen through your fingers. I just fixed a spelling mistake – that is an error – I shouldn’t stop writing just keep going.
Not looking backwards is a key to flow state and creativity in general. I hosted a meetup for podcasters at DCBKK and a few people there have been wanting to start a podcast for years but haven’t yet. They want it to be perfect. They are comparing it to other podcasts they like and want to get it to be perfect from day 1.
Maybe they will wait for a few more years – or maybe they will never do it at all.
My advice for those people who never start something is to just do it anyway. Or maybe start it as a side project in a different brand than your core one. This is what Mike’s Blog is – it’s a place I don’t stress about being perfect, I don’t stress about making a mistake and I just do it. We need to keep pushing forward and fix as we go.
So for those perfectionists – how do you ever get started? It is hard for me to comprehend to be honest. I wouldn’t know how to start many of the businesses and projects I have now if I tried to be perfect from day one.
Look at anyone’s first podcast, blog, or youtube video. They were far from perfect. The key though is to learn and improve upon it. Listen to what people say when they are watching it – studying the craft, talk to others in your space and get tools and tactics to get better.
This is how I have learned how to do almost everything in my life! I wonder if my kids will still need to go to school when they get older – because seriously I just learned how to do everything from the internet – school didn’t really help me. Sure – I know what some of you are saying – school taught me how to learn, that even though I don’t need to ever know the periodic table of elements, by studying it (in High school they made me memorize it, can you believe this BS?) it helps me learn how to learn.
I don’t buy that. You learn by doing. Not memorizing.
Although for my Chinese studies, I have been memorizing – by writing it over and over and over again.