(By Tal Gur)

We all want to make an impact, but not all impact is created equal. Some of the impact we want to make is born out of scarcity, guilt, and feelings of inadequacy. A wiser impact, on the other hand, is one that is born out of mere inspiration, joy, and inner guidance.

As you already know, each one of us has a unique constellation of gifts, qualities, and dreams. Similarly, we all have a unique inner GPS that guides and directs us; that is, of course, if we care to listen and act upon that intuitive guidance. 

When we fully embrace those gifts, dreams, and that unique inner GPS, our impact in this world is not only more joyful but effortless, too; this is what I call wise impact. There may be effort in our actions, but they feel effortless because they are devoid of trying or striving; it is as though our actions and the world become one. 

In itself, the above sounds simple, however, in reality it is not always easy. Wise impact requires us to let go of over-forcing, let go of over-striving, let go of over-attachment to results, and allow life to unfold in a more harmonious manner. In simple terms, it requires we give our trust to the unfolding path of our life.

Letting Go of Over-Forcing

We have been taught to believe that the best way to make an impact and achieve our goals is to push harder and harder and use large amounts of willpower. Unfortunately, this is not always true. Too much force and striving may actually interfere with our goals and dreams. As you know, whatever you chase often runs away. 

Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, over-forcing and over-striving may cause us to miss the real prize—joy, spontaneity, flow… These desirable states are best pursued when the focus is in the movement and not in the place to which it moves. As the old proverb says “to travel well is better than to arrive…”

Of course, this is not to say we should stop striving, stop setting goals, stop taking action; 

but that we instead prioritize effortless doing. The result is an intelligent integration of both unconscious and conscious wisdom, both body and mind.

This is key for making an impact, because after all, our life’s missions unfold through the activities that we choose to engage in. If we take action from an over-striving ego, we create from lack, scarcity, and not-enoughness. If we take action from presence, we create from abundance, appreciation, and sufficiency. And when we do that, we’re not only creating from the depths of our being, we’re also supported by the creative intelligence of life itself.

The Joy of Effortless Doing 

“Don’t play the saxophone. Let it play you.” ~ Charlie Parker

It’s no big secret—people are happy in their everyday lives when they are doing things for the pure joy of doing them. There’s a great feeling of joy when you’re so into what you’re doing that you’re not thinking about anything else—not about yourself, not even about what you’re doing... because what you’re doing feels effortless. There are no other thoughts in your mind, no world outside—you are one with the action, and nothing else matters. 

We usually call this transcendent state of mind by different names: focused, inspired, “in the zone,” “effortless doing,” etc. I prefer the word “flow” to describe this experience, the deep sense of enjoyment that we get when we immerse ourselves in the process of aligned doing.

The concept of flow and effortless doing isn’t anything new. In fact, it's been present in humanity since the beginning of time. In recent years, the concept has been popularized by the work of Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who started out in search of what makes life worth living, and defined the answer in terms of flow. He writes that flow "is long cherished and that [it] becomes a landmark in memory for what life should be like.” Experiences of flow carve out the foundation of a life of happiness. 

How does it feel to be in flow? Csikszentmihalyi interviewed thousands of people, from monks to mountain climbers, and came up with these qualities to describe the flow experience:

1. Focus, concentration, complete absorption in what we are doing 
2. Excitement, ecstasy, feeling outside everyday reality
3. Clarity: we know what needs to be done and how well we are doing
4. Confidence: we know the activity is doable, that our skills are adequate to the task
5. Serenity, no self-conscious thoughts, no interference of the ego 
6. Timelessness: totally focused on the present with no awareness of time passing 
7. Intrinsically motivated: whatever initiates flow becomes its own reward 

These qualities help to explain some of what we’ve touched on here, but when does flow actually happen? 

The Art of Finding Flow 

Generally speaking, flow occurs when our conscious mind shuts down to allow the wisdom of the body and the unconscious mind to take over. The sense of “I” doing the task diminishes and we become one with our actions. The effort is effortless because it’s in harmony with life. It’s not held back by our limiting beliefs, needs, or fears and desires. 

With that being said, as you probably already felt yourself, getting the mind to shut off and allow the body to do its thing can be a challenge. It’s not always easy to quiet the mind and relax into some sort of boundless harmony with life, especially in a culture immersed in an endless stream of distractions and hyper-rationality. Our culture’s excessive focus on pushing harder and moving faster causes us to overlook the wisdom of the body or what I call “Effortless Doing.”

Moreover, there is no one, single, surefire technique for achieving Effortless Doing whenever one wishes to. The conditions and barriers for flow vary from person to person and situation to situation. For one person, for example, it may be silence and solitude whereas for another the conditions require a loud environment. 

Getting into flow is more of an art than a science: sometimes, you check all the boxes for the things that should get you into flow, and you still don't experience it. But there are some key things you can do to invite flow into your life. I’ve listed some of the things that worked for me below. 

You see, flow may seem like a magical state that just happens sometimes, but you can also increase flow consciously and make the conditions right for it to happen. And that’s precisely where it starts—with being more conscious of your experience and how aligned you are before taking action. 

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1. Prioritizing Alignment - Alignment is key not only for moving forward on your path but also for feeling and experiencing flow. It’s when your intention, passion, and energy are aligned that you can be transported by the momentum of your actions. If your actions aren’t anchored in the joy of the moment, you probably won't give it your full attention. On the other hand, when you’re grounded in joy, you sometimes don’t even know you're in flow—you’re just there, in the moment, 100%. 

As you already know, your primary indicator of this alignment is your emotions. When you feel ungrounded or dissatisfied, you’re living out of alignment. Jumping into action from that place simply means manifesting something that matches an incomplete, lower vibration. Avoid the temptation and instead internally align. 

2. Where Challenge Meets Skills - Flow happens when the levels of challenge and skill are correspondingly high. Think about it: When we choose an activity that is too easy, we’re not stimulated, so we get bored and eventually give up. In the same way, if it's too hard, we’re overwhelmed, so we get frustrated and eventually give up. Either way, we give up on something of paramount importance to us. 

So, how do you find the right level of challenge for your skills? Even when you’re not attaining flow, you can use those almost-there moments to build your skills. For example, if you’re excited about a challenge, but it’s too difficult for you to ease into completely, you can use your state of arousal to learn, to grow outside of your comfort zone. As you become more skilled, you’ll come closer to flow. The same goes for an activity that is too easy for you to find flow: you can use your feeling of control to figure out how to raise the level of challenge. Put simply, the more we situate ourselves between these two poles, setting the right amount of challenge for our skills, the more flow we'll experience in life.

3. Acceptance of Fears - When you’re called to do something challenging, then you may face some feelings of fear. The idea of “No Fear” can be misleading, though. In his powerful book, War of Art, Steven Pressfield claims that there are no fearless warriors. Everyone has fear or other mental obstacles that may get in the way of taking action. He calls these mental obstacles “resistance,” and he says that overcoming resistance involves feeling the fear, fully accepting it, and then doing what is called to be done. Think about it: if you wait until you can say with absolute certainty that you’re ready, until you have no more fear, you may never take action. 

4. Releasing Attachment to Results - Part of the process of overcoming resistance involves a willingness to fail for the sake of what you are doing. Because the more you fail, the more you practice, and the more you hone your skills; and the more you fail, the more possibility that you’ll discover something outside of what you expected, and the more time you spend outside of your comfort zone, outside of your ordinary mode of operating. When you’re on the edge, you’re most open to flow. Hand-in-hand with the value of failure comes a focus on the process. Consider results as the by-products of the work. Have a clear objective, but don’t obsess about results—just show up and do the work. 

5. Showing Up Consistently - Some creatives claim to sit down and work only when inspiration strikes. But you don’t have to be one of the lucky ones to experience this; you can make the conditions right for flow to happen. In other words, keep showing up—no matter what. Show up consistently for what you’re called to manifest, and you will prepare the way for flow. Set aside a time everyday when you will sit down to work, and with regularity, that act of showing up will be an invitation—a summons, if you will—for your muse, your genius.

6. Eliminating Distractions - Easier said than done, but you want to free your mind from distractions if you want to achieve flow. Remember, flow is doing what you feel is so necessary that there is nothing else in the moment. These days, we create unnecessary distractions with every use of our devices. Instant notifications pop up and demand our attention as if they’re the most urgent thing, when they’re really the least important! Simply turning off those notifications will go a long way in clearing your mental field. Or, put your phone away entirely—out of sight, out of mind. And if you’re working on a computer, make sure that the only windows open are the ones you need to be using. You can also remove physical clutter from your workspace, and as you do so intentionally, move through the process of clearing mental clutter: label the thoughts that you may have on your mind, and tell yourself that you are putting them away for now. To help with this, you may want to go for a quick walk or do a short meditation to set your intention for what you are doing, for finding flow. 

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These are only some of the ways to increase flow in your life. As mentioned, there is no one, single, surefire technique for achieving flow whenever one wishes. The conditions and barriers for flow vary from person to person and situation to situation. However, like many things in life, the more your experiment, the more you learn what works for you at what time. In fact, simply prioritizing effortless doing and being aware when you’re not in flow state can be enough for increasing flow in your life.

Experiencing Sustainable Fulfillment

Making an impact and achieving your goals and objectives can be very fulfilling, but I’m not talking about the thrill of accomplishment; I’m talking about the joy of pursuit, of being one with the action you take, of making the impact through doing what you love. Goals make life meaningful in the movement, in the process, in the voyage itself. The actual results are only secondary.

Saying that results are secondary might sound strange coming from a guy who spent a decade pursuing goals. Strange, but not contradicting. From my experience, pursuing goals from a place of joy is not only more rewarding but also yields better results and greater impact in the long run.

You see, if the impact you want to make is primarily coming from your ego, you may have some external success, but whatever you achieve won’t ultimately fulfill you, and thus won’t be sustainable in the long run. We can only find sustainable fulfillment when we are in touch with our essence and the wisdom of life.

Here’s the thing: The universe (or Life, or whatever term you prefer) loves to create through us. When we're in tune with life, we become vehicles of creative intelligence. Therefore, rather than asking, “What impact will give me the most results and success?” ask yourself, “What does life want to manifest through me?” Listen for the awareness that makes you light, alive, and expanded and act in alignment with it.

Exercises | Downloadable Workbook

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