Purposeful focus, developed through the regular practice of meditation and maintained through the regular checking-in to reality throughout the day, enables us do just what we need to do to achieve our objective for now. Really, that is all you need to know.

In reality, therefore, there are only certain, discrete, things that you need to do. I say "discrete" because life is lived in discrete segments - they're called moments or nows. The first thing you need to do is meditate - regularly. I'm often amused - or bemused - by the extent to which people tell me that they "fall back on the meditation" when they "need it"... like praying when things go wrong or when you find yourself in a fix, people seem to think that meditation will steady them - but only when they need it. We need it all the time because, unknownst to us (because we're not very good at paying attention) our subconscious mind (the part of our mind that dictates our automated behaviour and, thus, creates our pale reflection of reality) is prone to drift into the past and, because it's subconscious, we don't notice... at least we don't until it dawns upon us that we've wasted the last hour (or, worse, the whole day!), have shirked some responsibility or avoided doing something important. We need meditation every day - that's Number One.

We also need to regularly check-in with ourselves during the day to find out how far we've mentally drifted from our purpose and the reality of the moment. Reality is all around us all of the time - a few deep breaths will get you in touch with it. But, we also need to keep ourselves on task - hence this morning's Quick Tip.

Almost everyone I know has hit this wonderful mental state of Flow at some point in their lives. Often, it happens by accident or, as suggested by today's video, in the heat of an impending deadline. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could choose to hit Flow at will? That is what purposeful focus will enable you do... again and again until it becomes a way of life.

Tuesday February 24th, 2015 - Dublin

Flow is not a feeling of happiness for the sake of a feeling of happiness - what good would that be on a practical day-to-day basis? Flow is about being "in the zone" because you're doing something, doing it well, completely immersed in doing it and getting satisfaction from the experience. It is not something that you can force upon yourself - nor do you choose to be in flow.

Flow happens - your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to do the few, small but necessary things (that we're talking about in today's Ezine) to let Flow simply and effortlessly happen. In that way, you choose to cultivate all the right things (state of mind, purpose, objective) - get all your ducks in a row - and then let Flow happen by fully doing what you're doing (assuming what you're doing is the right thing to be doing right now).

Flow has been defined by the University of Chicago - we're exlporing its components and attributes over the next few weeks - including today - not because we can mechanically bring about Flow but because, if we know all its working bits, we can take the small, few necessary steps to enable ourselves simply be up for it... and then see what happens - effortlessly.