Pouring tea © by KaiChanVong

Often it’s hard to get started on a project. We know what needs to be done and yet we feel unable to start moving. We know we need to write an essay and yet we can’t find the will to open the word processor. We know we need to exercise and yet we can’t even get out of the door.

Overcoming inertia is a serious problem.

And yet, once we get started we often find ourselves hitting a period of flow. Have you ever gone for a run and began to lose track of time? Have you ever been so engrossed by a speaker that you felt lost in his story? Have you ever felt so compelled by a problem that you just couldn’t let it go? These are periods of complete focus and once we start a project they occur with surprising frequency.

So what’s the challenge? The challenge is getting moving and taking that first step. The challenge is finding a way to start.

My advice is to start slowly, become aware, and relax into your work. If you want to start writing an essay tell yourself that all you need to do is open a document and write down the title of the assignment. If you want to go for a run tell yourself that you just need to get out of the door. If you want to complete your reading say that you’ll just read that first page.

Find that first step and focus on it completely.

Once you get started it’s hard to change your direction again—inertia is now on your side.

So next time you feel stuck and don’t want to get moving, make yourself a cup of tea, take a deep breath, become aware, and relax into your work focusing on that first page, that first step, or that first sentence.

In no time you’ll be lost in your flow.

Growth © by AdamSelwood

Have you ever had an experience where you suddenly realized you had grown and developed in some significant way? Perhaps a friend asked you a big question, “what do you fear most,” and you suddenly understood more about your life philosophy. Perhaps you were listening to a story and began to see how the story related to you in some meaningful way. Maybe you were reading a book, listening to music or watching a movie and you suddenly felt alive, like you had moved to a new level of awareness.

Personally I find these ‘aha moments’ to be some of my most rewarding experiences. In this post I will try to outline a process for maximizing the frequency of these moments.

Planning

The first thing to realize about these growth experiences is that it’s almost impossible to know exactly what they will be. By their very definition these moments are raising you to a state of being that is currently beyond you, so to some extent they will always be unpredictable.

That being said, it seems to me that ‘aha moments’ occur in a fairly regular pattern. For me, they tend to occur during my time off— late evening, when I’m in the shower, after I’ve gone for a run. They also usually require me to be in a specific mindset—when I’m feeling depressed it’s unlikely that I’ll have one. And finally they tend to occur in specific locations and with specific people—it’s usually when intimately talking to others that these experiences occur. With this understanding, it seems that to some extent we should be able to plan for these experiences.

In the rest of this post I will explore how doing the basic ground work, making sure that you’re in an optimal state, and seeking out new environments can facilitate the discovery of new growth experiences.

Do the Ground Work

There’s an old saying that it’s only when the student is ready that the teacher will arrive.

To have growth experiences it’s almost always helpful to do some basic ground work. Take the example of trying to develop an understanding in a math course. With math you can increase the chances of making a concept click by doing the basics. If you make sure to pay attention during lecture, spend time struggling with the big concepts and try to discover visual explanations of the material, then you are more likely to feel the ideas clicking into place

Similarly, if you are trying to find a new relationship then you can increase your chances by doing some basic work on yourself. By making sure you are well groomed, that you are in a positive mindset, and that you have something exciting to talk about you can increase your chances of creating attraction should you stumble upon that special person.

The first step in cultivating growth experiences is doing the basic groundwork.

Make sure that you put in the hard work to be ready to grow.

Hit the State

So you’ve put in the hard work and you’ve done the basics, what’s the next thing you can do to increase your likelihood of stumbling upon growth?

Your state is an important consideration here. Have you ever noticed that some moods are more conducive to learning than others? When you’re half-asleep or all you can think about is finding your next meal it is hard to have an ‘aha moments’—at these times you are more concerned about resting and taking care of your basic needs. In contrast, have you noticed that wheh you’re in a positive mood, and are flowing with high energy, that amazing, spontaneous things can often occur?

In my experience music and movement help me to get into a state conducive to growth experiences. If I’ve just listened to an amazing performance that has sent tingles down my body then I know I am receptive to learning something in that moment. Similarly, if I’ve just finished a workout and my body is alive then I know that I’m physically in an optimal state for learning.

Also I’ve found that being slightly caffeinated can be conducive to growth. If I’ve had a cup of tea and a small amount of dark chocolate I can often increase me ability to find new understandings in my study.

So the second way to increase your frequency of growth experiences is to make sure that you hit a good state as often as possible. Practice positivity, read inspiration stories, listen to incredible music, make sure you’re connected to your movement, relax into a cup of tea, feel the inspiration coming and wait to see what happens.

Find the Location

The third recurrent theme I’ve noticed with growth experiences is that they seem to occur in specific locations.  Although I can hit an inspirational state by listening to music on my own in my room, being in this state alone in my room is rarely conducive to finding new realizations. This is because my room is too familiar to me. I’ve spent so much time there that I’ve developed specific habits and routines for being in that environment. Like the person who follows the same route to get to work each morning, when you find yourself in a familiar environment it’s too easy just to follow your common routine.

In contrast, to increase your chances of finding a growth experience it’s often helpful to seek out new environments. Have you ever noticed that you learn a lot about yourself when you travel to a different country? By putting yourself in a novel environment you’re able to see your situation from a new perspective. Similarly have you ever noticed that big realizations have a tendency to occur at the start of a new project when your environment is still unfamiliar? I often find that it’s at the beginning of the semester that I make the largest strides.

Making sure to seek out new environments seems to be an important part of stumbling upon growth experiences.

Find that new location, embrace the change of seasons, listen closely to the new people, and see how a change to your familiar pattern can open you to new learnings.

A Final Thought

So it seems that putting in the basic ground work, hitting the right state, and finding good environments can help to accelerate growth experiences.

Perhaps the reason these things are beneficial is that they make you more receptive to learning from people who have already experienced the lessons you need. It’s most often in relationship to others that the biggest lessons occur and by opening yourself to learning as much as possible you can improve your chances of being guided into a higher state.

Thanks for staying with me. Let me know about your thoughts on maximizing growth experiences in the comments below.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. Your presence is deeply appreciated here. This is the space where I try to develop my philosophy. This is where I write and grow, becoming a deeper, fuller and more connected person. I am inspired to write here—it is my pleasure. May this be a place of exploration for both you and I.

Let our adventure begin!