Be water, my friend.

Reading the book Ikigai has always been a healthy outlet to release the stressful thoughts I have and bring my body back to its calmed state, hence reminding me of the things I do and why I do them with happiness and satisfaction. In a nutshell, Ikigai puts words to life to show how a clear purpose and joy in doing things with intention, satisfaction, and meaning shape a person’s life to be longer and happier.

In order for these things to influence a life’s trajectory, the individual must make sure these are what they love to do, what makes them happy, and what keeps them grounded. Aside from making sure it brings "good" to their life, they also have to consider the importance of immersing themselves completely in these works and letting their ego dissolve, or what we call "flow."

"You are completely immersed in the experience, not thinking about or distracted by anything else" is how the book describes this state of flow when doing things we are responsible for or voluntarily do in our daily life. This is the secret to appreciating more the things we do and loving them completely with intention and with clearness of mind.

From Csikszentmihalyi's discovery, it is stated that all people experience flow with the same "state of flow." Regardless of culture and age, we experience flow the same way and at the same level, and no one is left doing things while feeling that time is slowly running or feeling bored or irritated. Flow is the key to overcoming expectations, pressures, and the feeling of being uninspired. However, it takes effort to carry it with all of our doings and requires love for the work to achieve this state.

When we do things we enjoy and feel completely passionate about, time and expectations vanish in the experience. It is just you, the enjoyment, and the love for the work. There is no pressure about what might happen because you are already enjoying the state of flow and already involved in understanding the intention of your actions. In everyday life, flow is present, but it takes a slice of humanity and poetry to pinpoint it at the exact moment and in the exact thing.

When we read books we love, especially when the genre aligns with our heart, we forget that time has passed and the sky is already at sunset after starting to read it at sunrise. Doing the math for crocheting and knitting is interesting—letting patterns make the figure and touching the colors with the right use of comparison and complement—only to know it has been six hours more than what you allocated. You tend your carrot garden and square the early morning of a gentle day, only to realize you have already watered and touched the onions and pumpkins. You hike on an unfamiliar trail in a mountain, no cellphone, with the right company and trail map, only to feel the aches in your body tomorrow and the next day.

Where is flow in those things? It is in the part where you forget that the world is spinning and you think the day has infinite hours. In complete immersion, you forget that bad things are around you and instead focus on the dedication and enjoyment you have. Doing things as if the world is not going to end and you have everything you need. Doing things truly happy and joyous, you forget that you are breathing. Achieving a state of flow also means bringing yourself back to what it feels like to understand more of who you are.

Writing this today, I carelessly picked up my earphones and attached them to my body. I listened to Cigarettes After Sex while reading another chapter of Ikigai. And then I wrote this blog with no expectations of getting support but with a reminder that I am alive and I am doing good to myself. I don't even know why I am using this simple way of writing, but I do know I am achieving flow this time. The world feels silent, and I feel the seasons of autumn in our town, the warmth of the daylight, and the steadiness of all the books around me without even looking at it. The words are flowing in an infinite sea with infinite waves, and I am smoothly sailing. This is flow.

Maybe this is also the key to a writer’s block, but this is just my opinion. We know that writer’s block occurs when no words and ideas can be formed in a writer’s head. Pressure and expectations are the main reasons why it occurs during our writing journey. This is a villain especially when you have to write in a specific amount of time or in a competition.

When I write for my publication, I experience writer’s block, and then I remember to write first without any topic or theme. Writing with no plot and putting down words I don’t understand. Later on, I find myself staring at a complete masterpiece I wrote without knowing I had written it. And the satisfaction comes when you read it again and are shocked at how good the piece turned out. Months later, I just know it is printed and distributed to the students and teachers.

Classic books we read today are born from writer’s block. But with the right state of "flow," Shakespeare or Edgar Allan Poe wrote their masterpieces. This is flow. Not only a state in a person but also a reason why everyone lives more happily and with life-transforming experiences.

And maybe that’s the quiet miracle of it—flow reminds us that even in ordinary days, something magical still moves inside us. It shows us that we are capable, still growing, and always becoming. Flow is the gentle proof that we are alive in the truest sense, and that is enough.