What to Do When You Are Out of the Flow

I often talk about "reading the signs" and what I mean by that is not "woo woo" but about increased levels of awareness. With increased levels of awareness or (consciousness) you can make simple shifts to bring you more into that good feeling flow and that is where personal effectiveness and productivity happens. Recently I've been hearing a lot of themes emerging from those who feel out of sync...out of the flow...a bit hopeless or depressed. I even found myself feeling that way recently and was surprised at an old pattern resurfacing. I thought I had mastered the "inner game." After all, in the end it's all about alignment; your inner game and feeling of connectedness. I've "read the signs" for myself about WHY I get out of the flow and thought these five signs might be of help to you too. 1. I'm not telling myself the complete truth 2. I'm not meeting my basic needs 3. I have traded "virtual" reality for "physical reality." 4. My attitude has slipped into negativity 5. My habits are becoming my master instead of my servant Telling the truth It's so easy to put a smiley face on an empty gas tank. I think most of us are afraid to tell ourselves the truth when we feel lousy, but staying in denial only prolongs it. When you feel bad, just admit it and go right to non-resistance. Then you open the "portal" for change. Meeting basic needs When I skip sleep, exercise or good nutrition, it's just a matter of time before I start feeling a little disconnected. The biggest victim story that I hear over and over is "I don't have time." I used to "lie" to myself about that too. Now I know what Stephen Covey (7 Habits of Highly Effective People) says is true: It's about sharpening the saw. To skip out on "sawing logs" will have you sawing logs with a rusty dull saw. Virtual reality versus physical reality I love the Internet and the connections and friends I make on Facebook, Ning, and Wordpress but when I forget to get out there in public and mix and mingle, or even call a friend on the phone I get completely out of touch with life. When I'm feeling depressed I always cheer up to go to a networking meeting or social event. Attitude What you think about expands. Attitude is everything but trust me, you simply can't keep your attitude in check when you are exhausted and your body is full of fat and sugar. When the little gremlins start taking over the conversation in your head, go backwards and see if you have made the errors already talked about in the previous steps: You aren't being honest about your situation, you are not meeting your basic needs and you are addicted to your computer and sacrificing your physical, real-life relationships. Habits: Master or Servant I can just visualize it...your five year old comes and says "let's Play" and you say, "be quiet, I'm trying to build relationships..." Why do we forget that technology should be our servant instead of our master? I'm as guilty as the next person. There's always one more thing to learn. There's Twitter, Squidoo, Animoto, Mind Movies, Facebook, Ning and the list continues to grow. Let's face it we will never keep up with all of it. Learning is fun but when it becomes a compulsion it's a problem.