Category: Against The Grain

Going with the flow is like drifting down stream. You let everyone and everything else carry you to where they are going.

If we have a destination in mind and we want to take ourselves there, we better decide whether going with the flow is the best path for us.

It’s not a constant fight

Some decisions are like being in a lake. Deciding to go with the flow doesn’t have a big impact on where we go.

Other decisions are like going over a waterfall. Irreversible thoughts that change our life forever.

It’s difficult to tell when you’re safely floating in a lake or on the precipice of a waterfall.

Breakfast might feel like a lake to many, but for some it can be a waterfall. If by eating a bad breakfast you trigger a cascade of bad or non-decisions throughout the day, you may find yourself further down the river than you thought.

For others, breakfast may have little-to-no significant impact on the rest of their day. They may be able to eat a donut and say to themselves “okay, I’ve had my treat for the day. Now the rest of the day is work, let’s get to it.”

Awareness is being able to step back and see what’s happening so you can make conscious decisions about your life.

Knowledge is the understanding of what may happen given various inputs (usually based on our own learnings or studying those of others).

Wisdom is the ability to synthesize our knowledge and act on it.

Going against the grain.

Swimming up stream.

Implicit in the name is that it is difficult.

If it were easy, everyone would do it. But very few people do. And that’s one of the biggest things that makes it so valuable.

Water flows downstream taking the easiest possible route. As water molecules flow together they naturally go where energy takes them. They slip and slide getting to the lowest elevation, closest to earth, as quickly and easily as possible.

In many ways our culture is like the mountain and we are all molecules of water sliding downhill. A seemingly invisible force carries us all through life.

When we aren’t putting our own mental and physical energy in to make thoughtful choices about where we want to go, everyone and everything around us makes that decision for us. We slide through life, taking the easiest path.

Those who are aware of the big picture and can muster the energy to make thoughtful decisions have the ability to change the direction of their life.