"Monster" Perceptions: From Failure to Flow

If you're anything like me (poor thing) you understand how it's so easy to get up in the morning with a list of ideas to jot down, tasks to accomplish, and a good book to finish . . and of course, the walk or jog to keep the fat devils at bay.  And each morning as I get up, I believe I can get it all done . . along with a load of laundry and a top-of-the-stove-skillet dish of some yummy concoction.  I never get it all done (of course!) and then I feel like I've failed.

Failure.  A horrible word.  A horrible feeling.  And I've done it to myself  . . even though it's very easy to blame someone else. . .the interruptions, the phone, the can-you-help-me-figure-this-out requests, and/or my real job of teaching and practicing the art of therapy.

However, this evening I'm reflecting on the possibility that my failure is not horrible . . that failure in the face of persistent perfectionism could possibly be a blessing!  For me, this is an idea worth jotting down :)
 

Our perceptions about who we are and what we are supposed to do in life come from years of measuring ourselves against an external world . . their values and ideals. And yet, when is the last time you asked yourself what you wanted from life? I want to dance. I want to rumba, samba, and jive:)  I want to experience movement and flow.  . . a flourishing life.  And in this moment, it seems, I need to gently re-frame my "monster" perceptions.

Flow is a sense of "effortless action" that leads to an internal sense of positive self-worth.  According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Finding Flow), we flourish when  we fully engage to overcome a manageable challenge. . we are drawn into the process  . . there is no room for distraction or fear of failure.  So flow is a process . . not a perception.  It is dynamic . . it is never perfect. . . it moves to the challenges.  When I think of flow, I immediately think of water that glides over and around and through . .teardrops and raindrops and dewdrops.  Uninhibited, unimpeded. . .flow.  The dance of life.

What are your challenges . . your "monster" perceptions?  How do you move and flow?  Share in the dance of life . .. I'm listening . . .