Maintaining the Level: A Lesson in Flow

A couple of weeks ago, I was so immersed in my state of flow that I lost track of time entirely. It was Thanksgiving Thursday, but I didn’t even realize it. I woke up, completed my morning routine, and headed to the health club like usual. When I arrived, the doors were locked.

I laughed it off, figuring I’d simply return the next day. But Friday morning, I found myself standing in front of a still-closed health club. Undeterred, I waited until Monday to try again.

When the doors finally opened, I was ready to dive back into my routine. One of my favorite parts of the morning is sitting in the hot tub, where I take time to visualize my day. It’s my moment to focus on what needs to get done, set my priorities, and prepare for the day ahead.

But that morning, something was off. As I approached the hot tub, I heard a loud, grating noise. When I got in, the jets weren’t flowing properly, the water looked murky, and the whole system seemed like it was struggling. I tried to carry on with my visualization exercise, but it was impossible to ignore the chaos. Eventually, I gave up and moved to the dry sauna.

Today, I finally made it back to the health club again. This time, the hot tub was crystal clear, calm, and flowing perfectly. As I stepped in, I realized what had changed. The water level was higher—right where it needed to be.

It hit me: while the health club had been closed, no one was maintaining the hot tub. The water level had dropped below the skimmer, preventing the system from working properly. Without enough water flowing into the jets, the entire system broke down.

And that’s when I saw the lesson.

How often do we, as business owners, try to force flow when we’re running on empty? We expect peak performance from ourselves and our businesses, even when our levels are dangerously low. Just like the hot tub, we can’t function properly if we’re not maintaining the right levels.

For ourselves, this means daily habits that keep us grounded—meditation, reflection, exercise, or simply taking time to pause. For our businesses, it means maintaining clarity about what truly matters: understanding our audience, refining our processes, and focusing on priorities rather than spreading ourselves too thin.

When we neglect to maintain these levels, everything starts to feel harder. The flow we once had turns into struggle. But when we consistently make the effort to stay full—when we take the time to refill, reset, and recalibrate—we can function the way we’re meant to.

So here’s the question: what’s your water level? Are you at the optimal place to flow, or have you been running on empty?

Remember, maintaining the right levels isn’t a one-time fix. It’s a daily effort, a commitment to yourself and your business. Because when everything is flowing as it should, you can make the impact you’re meant to make—and do it with clarity and ease.