I was fortunate enough to meet a
wonderful author at his latest book reading in Kuala Lumpur. What
fascinated me the most was his natural ability to just go with the flow!
He would simply plan his trips abroad by booking an entry ticket to one
city and an exit ticket from another city, on the other side of the
country. The bit in the middle was completely unplanned! Wherever the
road led him he would go. If he liked a place he would linger. If he met
a stranger who spoke of a place he would follow them there. Nothing was
forced or squeezed or rushed about his method of travel. Everything was
“go with the flow”. Everything was done in complete faith alone. Of
course the questions were asked: “Were you never in danger?”, “Did you
ever run out of money?”, “Did you ever have nowhere to sleep?”. The
answers were no, no and no. Unbelievable!! His book tells the tales of
his journeys and all the serendipitous events that happen to him,
leading him to self-discovery and solid friendships. The whole idea
pulled a rubber band in me that snapped back when I remembered my brief
flirt with leaving my plans to a higher being. Otherwise, I tend to be
the complete opposite. I am a “to-do list” devotee and a partisan
planner. I don’t board a plane without some preliminary research on my
destination and pre-booked accommodation. I sat listening to him in awe!
There
is, I believe, a real value to you if you are able to have both traits
in your life. There is a place for planning, setting goals and working
towards them. There is a place for holding and controlling all the
threads in your life! There is too, a place for not doing, just being
and going with the flow. Taking the unplanned occurrences as opportunities and letting the threads go!
So what type of person are you?
Be curious about what it must be like to be the opposite?
Give it a try. For one day only, challenge yourself to either plan ahead or go with the flow.
Remember
that doing either one for a prolonged time without deviation will not
necessarily benefit you but having a bit of both definitely will. Even
the author has to come back home from his travels and fit back into the
structure of our modern world. He however, has a different compass,
turning its dial in him. For even back in the rigid, modern world he can
create his own inner freedom and find the space to share his “flow”
with us; to share how to bring freedom home!
By Erika Zechner
Author is: Tham Chee Wah
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