Finding the Flow

I've talked a lot about my drift into the Dark Side, now it is time to start digging a way out.  Logic dictates that I need to learn to rely on the same source for strength as the Jedi:

Obi-wan Kenobi: Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together (Star Wars: A New Hope).

I've got a bad feeling about this...  The Force?  What in the world is the real world analog to the Force?

I could start up the Eastern Philosophy engine here and start talking about Chi and Prana, but that is not necessary.  Whether or not you or I believe in such a thing is a moot point.  There is a psychological theory we can all quantify that is a good approximation for the Force.

The Force = The Flow

The experience of Flow is accompanied by a sense of awe and timelessness.  It is empowering and involves many of the same experiences as a Jedi experience when communing with the Force.

Flow is the state of being/experience achieved when our level of challenge meets or level of skill, when the world seems to fall away and you live life rather than just exist.  This experience is one that corresponds well to the idea of the force.

Entering Flow

Let's revisit my Reformed Sith Code:

My peace is lost, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain hope.
Through hope, I gain solace.
Through solace, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me

I know what arouses my mind, those are my Passions.  Now, I need to find those things I am passionate about that I have a sense of control over.  For me, it is my writing, the shows I watch, and the people I surround myself with.

Once I have my list, I have to find the things I can do to increase the challenge to meet my skill or my skill to meet the challenge.  Once I did that.  I found I entered Flow easier, and the darkness receded.  I am not done, and I never will be.  Every time I up my skills, I have to increase the challenge.

That is why I started this series.  It brings together two topics I am passionate about, and challenges me to be more open and structured in my writing.

How do you enter flow?

Now that we have discovered a way into Flow, we need to examine the lives of some of the Great Sith and Jedi to learn how to keep out of darkness.  We'll start with Exar Kun, the fool who rushed in.