How Saying “Maybe” is a Superpower
Even When Things Seem Sucky
Imagine you’re going down a sparkling river in a canoe…
If you relax and paddle lightly, the boat will carry you downstream where you can enjoy the ride, study the life thriving on the river banks, spot some food, wave at people on land without caring if they wave back.
This is the flow state.
Now imagine you’re convinced there’s something greater upstream, so you turn the boat around and use all your energy to paddle against the current, focusing on the destination instead of the ride, missing the life, the food, the people.
That’s the ego trying to force an outcome.
This is how I used to struggle… And I still have to resist the urge to waste energy paddling against life’s current.
But I’ve learned a couple tricks I use when I catch myself resisting “what is.”
I remind myself that everything is meant to be — I’m talking divinely ordained — from the world’s daily dramas to the slivers of gray hair forming on my head.
Anything that seems “unlucky” is just a lesson in disguise. As for “lucky” events, I thank God (one of many names) for any perceived blessings (gratitude is the stream that carries more good luck).
Flowing is what we feel when we surrender our ego’s superficial expectations and just let ‘er ride.
You’ll have your best insights then, make your best friends, write your best masterpieces. You’ll see the world as a comic circus instead of a tragic shit-show.
But how do we stay in the flow even when bad things happen?
Turns out, the word “maybe” could be the key. And there’s an ancient Chinese for this…
There was once a rice farmer who lived a simple and happy life with his wife and children.
One day, a herd of wild horses ran into his rice field and got stuck in the mud. The horses couldn’t get away and so became his.
A neighbor hurried over and shouted, “You just scored these beautiful horses! What good news for you!”
The farmer replied, “Maybe…”
A week later the farmer’s twelve-year-old son jumped onto a horse, but the wild horse threw him off, causing the son to break his leg.
The same neighbor ran over. “Oh no, such bad news!”
The farmer sighed, acknowledging his son’s hardship, but still rose above the moment and again replied, “Maybe…”
The confused neighbor scratched his head as he walked away.
A week later, a Chinese general arrived looking to draft boys older than ten into a bloody war. The general took all the healthy boys, but left behind the farmer’s son because he had a broken leg. Later, his leg healed and he lived and long and happy life.
“Maybe… Maybe… Maybe…” This was the magic word the farmer used to stay in the flow, during perceived “good” times and “bad.”
Let “maybe” keep you in a flow state no matter what happens. Let acceptance replace expectation. If anything, you’ll be better able to help others during challenging times.
Like a nurse on the frontline who sees all kinds of mayhem but can still wink and smile at the patients she serves, she trusts the flow of the river that flows from the ocean known as our Divine Source.
Start with “maybe,” then simply let go and let God.
You’ll go much further when you go with the F L O W . . .
For more, check out How to Stay in a Flow State.