How are flow and values related?


Photos by Janelle Ivey

My wedding day truly was one of the happiest days of my life! There were many reasons why but one of them is that Tom and I were in a state of flow.

Everything leading up to the wedding, came together seamlessly without worry or stress. The first store I went to, I found my wedding dress. I bought my flowers from the first florist I met and we had our reception at the only place we looked at. And I loved them all!

I had people surrounding me whom I loved and loved me. I couldn’t stop smiling on our wedding day. The emphasis was on connection and fun, not on any obligations or “shoulds”.

Flow occurs when you are in alignment with your values, what is true for you and I believe that is why our wedding was so flowy (is that a word?).

Tom and I stayed true to what was important to us and let go of what was not, even if it ruffled some feathers or wasn’t according to expectations of others.

I love these pictures because they exemplify what is important to us and what is not.

I bought my shoes for $20 at Payless Shoes. I can hear some of you gasping but here’s the thing. Shoes don’t mean a lot to me. They never have.

Maybe it’s because growing up, my shoes consisted of soccer cleats, track shoes, running shoes, flip flops and ballet shoes. Who knows? But I would have rather spent the money on a great meal or a visit to the thermal baths on our honeymoon in Italy instead of on shoes that I likely wouldn’t wear much. So it wasn’t that I was being cheap. I just didn’t see the point in splurging for shoes that don’t have value for me.

Tom wore cycling socks on our wedding day. It was aligned with a sport that we both love and that he is truly passionate about. It is something we value in our lives so bringing it into our wedding day in the form of socks was fun and truly aligned.

About a month ago, I was in a low and crunchy state, definitely not in flow. When I had a look at what I was thinking, feeling and doing, guess what? None of it was aligned with what is truly important to me and what I know to be true for me. No wonder I was experiencing so much resistance!!!! Kind of the opposite of flow.

So now when I am not in flow, one of my go to questions is “Am I in alignment with my values, with what is important to me and what I know to be true?”. If the answer is “no”, then I re-connect with my values and make the changes that are necessary.

Just a little something to ponder if your days aren’t feeling very flowy:)

Much love,

Glenda