Are you a driver or a flyer?

For the first 40 years of my life, despite being a pilot, I was a driver not a flyer. And then 7 or 8 years ago I made a small change that brought an unexpectedly big result. After years of dieting and working out like crazy and obsessing around food I lost two dress sizes when I wasn't even trying to lose weight. You see a driver works and works and works. They believe if I just do more, do it faster, do it better that's the answer. They push the river. They believe they can make it happen. And the truth is often they can make it happen. Determination is powerful. Over the years, I did manage to maintain my weight reasonably well, but I worked so hard at it that food and working out were constantly on my radar. There were many foods I simply would never even consider eating and I lived with constant guilt about not working out enough. Losing weight without trying caused me to rethink everything I'd ever believed about what it takes to get results and achieve goals. I discovered that we tend to work far harder than we need to and to focus on the wrong things. I realized that so many of the things that we are sure require us to struggle, really don't. My experience around losing weight formed my understanding of "flow". There are 3 key components to flow

1. Spirit level- in its simplest form it's what brings you joy. If you do nothing but keep your attention on what brings you joy you must fly. You can't do anything but soar. Simple but not easy- as we all know.
2. Mind level- planning, strategizing, organization- plan and strategize in specifics. Manage your time based on your goals and what brings you joy. Seems simple enough but how often do "shoulds and ought to's" crowd out our highest priorities?
3. Physical level- consistency of effort. Hard work is a valuable and necessary component of being a flyer, but it has a different energy than being driven. It's more about showing up, being consistent, and trusting in your big vision. And a lot less about forcing and pushing.

If you've been a driver you'll recognize that level 2 and 3 get most of your attention. Why not shift it a little this year and see what can happen for you? "Lighten up" and lose the weight, build the business, and reach all of your goals so much faster. And best of all you can enjoy so much more of life. This year, as you "work" on your goals, I invite you to become a flyer and make it your year to “take off”. In Joy, Patty