A Heightened State of Mind

Dear Reader,

Do you ever find yourself in a state where everything flows easily, where timely insight just arises, and the right actions appear in your mind at the right time? Some people might call this a flow state.

If you feel like those times are few and far between, or that you struggle to understand them and use them wisely, read on.

The setup

Last week while writing, I experienced what I called a heightened state of mind. The writing contains insight about the creative process itself. It felt amazing! It also felt familiar, and practical as well as transformative – although I only wrote for about thirty minutes.

I am sharing a portion of it with you here, with the hope that my experience will help you understand and work with your own intuition and flow state. See below!

The writing – part one

I can feel myself in a heightened state of mind. I feel more aware, and more engaged in a different way of thinking, being, making meaning.

As I write, I realize how fragile this state can be. Open my laptop, read a few emails or a few news articles, and the state may slip away. Turn to a work task or my to-do list, and the state may slip away. Fortunately, I have been able to catch myself, in both cases.

With this heightened state comes a resolve to do what feels called for today, not what is planned, or what it seems like I should do.

Where does “what is called for” come from? Somehow, it comes from the heightened state itself, which I can only describe as a combination of deep awareness – of my inner self and intuition, as well as my presence in the outer world, combining to provide clarity about what is called for – curiosity, desire, commitment, purpose, persistence, and willingness to do what is called for. I also feel willingness to stop, check in, and return to this state again and again, as many times as necessary.

To maintain this state, I need to be able to let go, repeatedly, of old stories. I need to let go of the guilt I have felt because while I am sitting in a Starbucks writing, my wife is working all day at a job she hates. So I also experience trust in her love, and in her faith in my process, in our process together.

These same things I also do my utmost to give her, not in order to get them in return, but because she is my love and that is what I choose to give her. as one way I can honor her in relationship.

I know that I am in this heightened state as I write, that it is the result of a lot of hard work, and that it will not last.

But now, and each time I experience this state fully, I have a little better idea of what it takes to get here, and a little more confidence that I can recreate it anew. It does take persistence, consistent right action, and faith in the power of taking small, conscious steps. Combine those things, and all the beauty and wisdom of life may pour through you onto the page, or into whatever you are doing with love and attention.

This openness can come at a price, but is worth sometimes being unfocused or feeling lost. It is part of who I am.

May it be so for you too.

The writing – part two

This process also helps me realize just how pervasive, and how deeply the outer influence of societal expectations can affect us. There are layers of this influence to peel before you finally break through, in a way you can recognize. Then you can choose to dive below into your own heart’s territory.

In this heightened state, I realize that I am getting answers to questions concerning very practical things, such as whether I should follow up with a client or not, and if so, what I want to say. If I weren’t coming from this place, I might agonize over the problem, and perhaps made a low-energy choice.

In a way, this state feels like an improvised dance. I am moving back and forth between reading and writing as I feel called – as my deep insight and feeling lead me. In the same way, I am moving back and forth in my reading between two different books. As I read, I have a pen and two different notebooks ready, one in which I am writing this narrative, and another where I am jotting important ideas for later.

Thoughts afterward

I experienced this writing as a beautiful, insightful process that I don’t encounter consistently in my writing. The state felt like the real me, and remained with me for the rest of the day, long after I finished writing.

You can see that many different human qualities combined to create the experience. Images that came to me at the time, if you like cooking, were of a fine stew, where the right ingredients blend perfectly. If you like sports, it felt like surfing just the right point in a big wave. If you relate to painting, it felt like working with just the right mix of paints and the prefect brush.

Worth noting: I was aware as I worked that a lot of previous time and effort went into creating this experience. It didn’t “just happen” even though it felt that way.

In addition, this state, for me, went beyond being a feel-good, intuitive exercise; it had very practical applications for my business and the daily choices I needed to make in life.

Now it’s your turn, dear reader. Time to reflect on your own experience of a heightened state of mind. When does it happen for you? What does it take to create? And how might my experience inform your own?

Let us know what you discover, if you are willing to share!

I honor your loving heart,

John