Going against the Flow

Why is it that when we are told, “Just go with the flow,” some of us feel a sense of calmness or serenity, yet, others feel uninspired, disappointed, or even demotivated?  

Boring would be the word to describe my feelings!

According to Urban Dictionary, the phrase go with the flow means “to not have a particularly strong opinion on something, thus follow the majority.”

To no one’s surprise, to go against the flow, as defined in Cambridge Dictionary, is “to do or say the opposite of what most people are doing or saying.”

Let’s say you are a small business owner, and in today’s current economic environment climate, to go with the flow could mean buying into the much hyped-up media, doom-and-gloom notion that nobody is spending money in your store, so you just cut costs and wait for things to turn around for the better.  Sad to say, the majority of small businesses do just that because they are frozen  in fear of doing something that might go against the flow, and (God forbid) that they might stand out and might even be noticed!

Years ago, I came across a book by Seth Godin titled “Purple Cow:  Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable.”  The first line of the review from the author hit me right between the eyes. He wrote,  “You’re either a purple cow or you’re not.  You’re either remarkable or you’re invisible.” Seth Godin urges his readers to put a purple cow into every thing they build so that they create something truly noticeable. It’s another way of saying, “Go against the flow!”

I watched a great movie this week called “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” about a visionary sheik who believed his passion for his pastime of salmon fishing can enrich the lives of his people, and he had dreams of bringing the sport to the not-so fish-friendly desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative to turn the dream into reality—an extraordinary feat that many thought was absurd and unachievable.

He made the impossible possible!

Salmon swim against the flow—upstream—and they even jump into the air to show how much they enjoy “going against the flow!”

Think about it. Are you living your life liberated, or are you just going with the flow?

Live Liberated,

 Libby