Going with the Flow, Finding Synergy

What is it to not push? To not force your way, your ideas or your methods? To not, with your head down, plow through the obstacles on your path? Many would say, “it is simply Un-American.” I say, “it is Bliss.”

The idea of “making things happen” is deeply entrenched in the American belief system. It is in fact, what most believe to be the “American Dream” – the notion that you can rise up, from rags to riches, against all odds. The idea that you can sets your sights on a goal, and with great ambition and motivation, and with a strong work ethic and by making all the right connections, and by showing up where people who are your potential customers show up, and by dressing the way they do, and by studying the habits of the 10 most successful people, and by fully committing to your goal, and by acting “as if” you were already the successful person you have set out to become, you can one day, most definitely, realize your dream! And it’s TRUE! All these factors can play into ones favor of success but I promise you, it is not guaranteed.

I don’t know about you but I was raised with the following quote embedded in my sub-conscious, not by my family so much, but by the “self-help era” in which I was born, by the philosophy with which I surrounded myself, and also by a mentor who actually did “rise up” from rags to riches (but also because it was what I wanted to believe) and it goes like this: “If you can conceive it, and believe it, you can ACHIEVE IT!”

However, there are many millions of people who everyday set out to conquer a dream. And they do so with the same vim, vigor, clear intention and heartfelt passion as those who actually succeed…only, not everyone succeeds. Not everyone who conceives an idea, and believes that idea in the core of their being, can manifest what they set out to achieve. Not everyone is so lucky.

A testament to this is the rate of Small Business failures throughout our country. In the first year of operation, 85% of small businesses close their doors. In the second year, it’s 70% with the numbers decreasing incrementally over the long haul. Most sited reasons for small business failure is lack of experience, lack of planning and lack of investment capital, yet, all of these people had a dream! Maybe they weren’t all “good ideas” but still, they were “their dream” and maybe or maybe not their passion.

It’s astonishing to me how disconnected these things can be, “one’s dream” vs. “one’s passion.” If you’ve never had a chance to watch “Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares” you should, if for no other  reason then to learn what passion is all about! Gordon Ramsey is a Scottish celebrity chef, television personality and restauranteur, and amongst many of his successes, like earning 15 Michelin Stars, he has created a show where he goes into failing restaurants and works his magic to turn them around. He gets in people’s face and under their skin. He challenges their motives and changes belief systems. He reinvents their decor, their menu and their philosophy but mainly, what Chef Ramsey teaches above all else, is passion! It’s astounding how many people are willing to go completely broke over something they are not even very passionate about!

But I’m here to talk about Synergy. The difference between those who succeed (subjective) and those who don’t is a multitude of factors: those stated above in regards to Small Businesses, but also there is luck or karma, and then there is Synergy. Synergy is what you have when you set out to accomplish something and doors simply open. One door after another, they just open, easily and without force. One great contact leads to another. You close one deal and another comes a knocking. There is no struggle, no pushing, no force…..what is simply required of you is to “show up” and to fulfill your end of the bargain. It’s like you’re gracefully floating down a river and just going with the flow while easily overcoming all obstacles. Synergy means listing to your intuition and following that. It means if you feel yourself encountering resistance, you notice it, contemplate it’s source and if necessary, change your game plan. It means Trust! It means willingness and flexibility. It means committing to a more organic life then the one you currently know.

Synergy begets more synergy. The more you listen, follow and trust, the more synergy is activated in your life. It’s as if there is an unexplainable phenomenon operating on your behalf, like magic! And there is! You just have to follow…..and it’s one of the hardest things for those of us in a Western Society to do! So, how do you begin?

To identify and begin working with Synergy in your life you can contemplate the following: Take time to notice what is easy. What occurs naturally in your life that you are happy about? What is it that doesn’t require a lot of struggle? What shows up again and again that you resist? Why? What happens if you just lean into it rather then resist? What or who are you trying to change? What if you focused on what’s working rather then what is not, instead? If one path is easy and one is hard, which one are you naturally inclined to take? Why do you take the path that is hard? Do you believe it will have a bigger pay-off? Do you need the challenge to motivate you? Where does this notion begin…..that, things have to be hard? Be curious. Challenge your beliefs. What if you just stopped the struggle and focused instead on all that you have, and the beauty that surrounds you, and all that is good in your life, rather then noticing all that hasn’t yet arrived?

The art of acting on what “IS” working is actually the secret here. This is synergy. This is as natural as the sun rising in the East and setting in the West.

And this, I believe, is how our lives are suppose to be!