Going with the flow is great … unless it means staying on a crashing train.

There is a difference between “going with the flow” and “creating flow” that is worth considering. The former sounds like a good idea. There is a meditation, zen-like quality to the phrase.   But, there is also a certain obliviousness to it, too.  Let’s say you are involved in a relationship that is, by all signs, collapsing. Ignoring this and continuing with the day-to-day may be a bad idea. Then again, it may be fine if the ramifications of staying there are considered, but the “going with the flow” idea would be the equivalent of staying on board a crashing train simply because the chair is comfortable.

The solution, I believe, to staying in a zen state of sorts while simultaneously making good decisions is in actively creating flow.

Creating flow involves the individual’s ability to think. In short, it simply means creating a repeating task to address a larger goal or project. In this case, devoting some time daily to assess the relationship at the exclusion of other tasks, whether done together or as an individual, can help prevent the sort of stagnant ruminations that can occur otherwise.

Creating flow, in itself keeps the positive sentiment of going with the flow, but re-establishes the individual’s active involvement in the surrounding world.