When tensions run high, stress abounds and frustrations mount, you might have a well-meaning friend or family member tell you “Just relax and go with the flow.” Everyone’s life is filled with disappointments of one sort or another. Focusing on what you do not have, and giving your personal energy to what you lack, only causes more sorrow. There are things you cannot change. Instead of railing against those things, turn your attention to the things you can do something about. While you can’t change some circumstances, you can take steps to make a difference in your life, and that of others.
It is possible to be relaxed, and experience very little stress, and also be a person who takes some charge of the things you want to do in life. You can change your circumstances, you can shift your experience — but it takes focus and commitment to do so. Consider that obstacles are real. If you were floating in your boat going with the flow of a river, it is very possible you could hit a rock or tree branch and your boat might stop. So have a plan but stay open to possibilities.
It is possible to have a “flow” attitude in life, but still work toward goals and dreams that are meaningful to you. Waking up each day to wonder what’s going to happen next may ultimately lead you to the same room in your apartment day after day. You do have to step outside and explore, try new things, and make reasonable plans for where you want to go. Just stay in “flow” as you go about this and take each step as a learning opportunity along the way.
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