Rome-free in a Flow State

Once again, I booked myself a last-minute trip - this time to Roma! Only recently, it sprung to mind that I’m heading towards a new era of the 30’s. What better way to celebrate the last remaining months of being in my 20’s than by taking a short break to lie on a beach, explore a beautiful city and eat authentic Italian food!

                                                                                                                                                                                                 Dress: Urban Outfitters
As some of you may know, I love an adventure. And this blog post is inspired by a series of thrilling events that took place on what I thought would be a casual and restful Sunday. I was in what is colloquially known as being “in the zone”, or as psychologists would define it as the “Flow State”. The Universal Law is a topic of deep interest that I’ve learnt over the years. It’s easier to witness super-natural phenomenas once you have a greater understanding of it, and this blog post is one of many I’ve experienced. I share my story with you, hoping to inspire you to be more curious, manifest what you desire and explore beyond the physicality of this world. For a while, I cannot help but to think more in terms of energy, after having more understanding that we are essentially bioelectrical beings.

"IF YOU WANT TO FIND THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE, THINK IN TERMS OF ENERGY, FREQUENCY AND VIBRATION"

- NIKOLA TESLA


I left my hotel room with a foolproof day plan and a smile. I began with a mandatory visit to the church and sat in the stillness of God’s presence. I stayed until feeling peace in my heart and then went on my way to find BIRD. Oh, that’s the name of the electric scooter rental company. I’ll be referring to the BIRD quite a lot in this blog as it became one of the most liberating and enjoyable things to do in Rome; I'm taking full advantage of riding it as it hasn't flown to the U.K (yet). Upon finding one, I jolted forward, shaking on the cobbled pavement as I went and I realised that ’this is going to be fun…’.
       My day plan looked something a little like this - Borghese Gardens, National Gallery Museum, a vineyard, food and beach! All these places were at opposing ends of Rome and I had a lot of ground to cover in a matter of hours. Evidently, BIRD was the ideal companion for this job. Riding all around Rome, including to a coffee shop which was a 5 minute walk away from my hotel, I revelled in the feeling of the sun on my skin and the cool breeze wafting through my hair. Whilst doing so, I had Google Maps instructing me with directions, where Spotify provided summertime bangin’ beats - Life was great!

On route to the gardens, I stopped at a flower shop to buy a sunflower. Why? Because it’s big, bright and a flower which I consider as being a ‘happy’ flower. It makes me happy from looking at it all the time. It’s the little things we do for ourselves that helps to increase our mood, thus amounting to greater joy in the long run. Even if it comes in the form of a chocolate cupcake. Nonetheless, I propped the happy flower up in my tote bag for onlookers to see, hoping to evoke smiles throughout the day as I continued on with my journey.
        The first two attractions I visited, I slowed down at a mere 10mph to admire the beautiful garden views and art. Even though visiting these sights were beautiful to see, I somewhat felt an even greater sense of joy scootering to each location. It was as if I was connected with the environment and the people around me. Perhaps I felt this way from having random conversations with commuters at red lights, and being grateful for patient drivers who kindly held heavy traffic for me (as I picked BIRD back up from toppling over). Whatever the reason, I was totally absorbed. By the time I reached the “vineyard”, I arrived only to find that it didn’t exist. Surrounded only by restaurants and shops, I decided to utilise the time effectively and fuel up!
        After having consumed a plate full of veggie pasta, I sat with my thoughts thinking ‘I’m having so much fun!’. Allowing this ‘good feeling’ to digest whilst satisfyingly sipping on my coffee, it got me questioning, “is it normal what I feel?” and “do others feel what I feel?”. It was the feeling of being lost in time and pure joy that inspired me to dive into this topic of interest and write this post. It is this exact feeling that psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced “Chick-sent-mi-hi”) describes this term as being in the flow state. A state of being that is felt and experienced more by people who are autotelic. Recognised for his theory on this concept, he says people in the flow state “focus on the matter at hand with pure joy”, where, whatever they do “becomes its own reward.” And that is exactly how I felt!



"IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO BE HAPPY TO HAVE AN EXCELLENT LIFE. THE POINT IS TO BE HAPPY WHILE DOING THINGS THAT STRETCH OUR SKILLS THAT HELP US GROW AND FULFIL OUR POTENTIAL." - MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI 


You can experience flow when you're working, exercising, doing something creative - anything! It’s as if the universe is working in your favour allowing you to witness synchronicities as events unfold. Synchronicity is the manifestation once being aligned in the flow state. It’s believed in shamanic cultures to be a form of guidance from the Higher Self; showing you where to go and what to do next in your life as you proceed through your journey. I also believe it’s an act of God, helping to fill those gaps when moments seem impossible to do. Therefore, when you do get a moment of synchronicity, follow it and enjoy watching these events unfold before your eyes. 
       The subject of flow is extensive and can be explored in many ways, therefore I’m only going to touch upon it. If you are further intrigued, I would recommend watching Csikszentmihalyi’s TED TALK on the topic. After reading about Autotelism, I’m more inclined to write about the trait after discovering it within myself. See if any of you can relate. ‘Autotelic’ - coined by Csikszentmihalyi, a personality trait which describes internally driven people who experience more of an abundance of flow. ‘Autos’ meaning ‘self’ and ‘telos’,’goal’ in Greek, “autotelics” are present and engage in activities which give them a deeper sense of inner reward. The goal isn’t the destination for autotelics, but rather the journey is the reward itself. This identifies the answer to my own question earlier. Again, there’s more to read on this subject and it’s a trait you can learn to cultivate today! 
         I mention these traits more in detail as I believe it’s important to be aware of your personality at different stages of your life. You learn who you are and what you are capable of, allowing you to use it to your best advantage in situations; whether at work, home, people etc. Thus, helping you achieve your desires and dreams in life and…be happy! That is, until you grow and change again.

Although I didn’t look beach bod ready after filling up on carbs, I was definitely ready to chilll! Fregenae beach was 30 miles away from where I was. Unfazed by the time, I scootered my way freely to a close-enough distance to the station, until BIRD ran out of energy on me. After all this talk on energy. Seated, chilling on a curb of a road, too lazy to walk, I then realised if I wanted to spend time at the beach, I had better dash right at that moment. I started running and had literal seconds to spare. I pointed frenziedly at my destination on my phone to the train driver, where he yelled “MOVE, MOVE!”, suggesting that I should…get on the train! I grabbed a seat and let out a huge sigh of relief with my exact thoughts being “My God! God is good to me”.
       Upon arrival at Maccarese station, I exited the doors being faced with what looked like a scene from a cowboy movie - tumbleweed floated on by. Not a sound in the world. I liked it! With not a worry in the world, because ‘hey, what’s the worst that can happen?’. I began walking in the direction of the beach which was an hour away. A thought crossed my mind, “how great would it be if someone drove me to the beach?” - just a passing thought. I continued walking until within minutes, I saw a car pulled over ahead of me - what are the odds! A perfect opportunity to possibly hitch a ride! (Now, I wish for money to fall from the sky!) The local fisherman and I got talking, with the help of Google Translate of course. He advised that it was far too dangerous to as it required me to walk on the main roads. Before you know it, he kindly offered to drive me to the beach! Having shared a lovely 15 minute journey, conversing about my trip in Rome and his plans to go fishing, we arrived and separated with smiles and waved goodbye.
         I enjoyed my time at the beach by dipping in and out of the water as often as I could, knowing it’s going to be a while until I get to bask in nature's medicine again. Listening to my beach playlist i.e Disney’s Moana, I caught up with my emotions, expressing my gratitude for the day and how wonderful these synchronised occurrences have been. Many scholars, including my fave neuroscientist, Dr. Joe Dispenza quotes, “gratitude is the ultimate state of receivership”. When you practice gratitude on a daily basis, you raise your vibrations and attract more of the things you’re in harmonious vibration with. As the primary law of the universe is vibration, it is your thoughts that carry the energy which will always move into form. This is the absolute law. Having obtained this knowledge, it drives me to hone the practice of gratitude more which has and does attract what I desire with ease. When I do, I bask in the feeling of being in the flow whilst watching synchronicities unfold before my very eyes.



"EVERYTHING IS ENERGY AND THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT. MATCH THE FREQUENCY OF THE REALITY YOU WANT AND YOU CANNOT HELP BUT GET THAT REALITY. IT CAN BE NO OTHER WAY. THIS IS NOT PHILOSOPHY, THIS IS PHYSICS."- DARRYL ANKA


The traffic was  was building heavily as people headed back home from the beach. I admit, initially I waited impatiently in the bus watching every minute go past. It was until I thought, ‘everything is exactly the way it’s meant to be’. With that faith, I arrived at the platform with two minutes to spare, arriving at the main city just in time.
        Golden hour fell beautifully on Rome. Rustic buildings in pastel shades were now painted with a touch of gold. Trees that bloomed with beautiful flowers were even more vivid - I was high on life. Perhaps the beach had had an effect. Either way, I located a BIRD, hit the Spotify play button and bobbled my way through to Vatican City while listening to Katy Perry, ‘California Gurls’. The song to match my vibe. Scooting around, I was surprisingly stopped by a souvenir shop owner. In a straightforward manner he let out, “you’re so beautiful.” Taken aback, he continued telling me how he was watching me ride my scooter and looked so happy in doing so, that he had to stop and tell me this and wanted to gift me. This comment and gesture alone made me so happy; to think that I was spreading this contagious “happy energy" around. I chose a magnet that’ll remind me of him and thanked him graciously. I headed back to my hotel to see my friend, excited to share my story during dinner. So excited, that I felt the need to share it with you all too!



"WE CAN'T REALLY TELL YOU, NOBODY CAN TELL YOU HOW TO REACH HAPPINESS EXCEPT YOURSELF." - MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI


If you have reached to the bottom of this blog post, I thank you for reading my story. I hope it has inspired you in some way to be aware of your thoughts, to look more into the invisible life force of the universe and its magical ways. I believe this subject is bigger than us and anything else in this physical world. With this said, it has put certain situations of my life into perspective, having less attachments to things, understanding that everything is temporary, where all we have to live for are the moments to enjoy.

Feel free to share your views and stories below. Thank you all for reading!

Peace and love! x
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