In the analog world where I grew up, I had formed a habit of maintaining an analog journal. A joint effort between me and my father, the journal was enriched with wise words, poems, quotes, thought snippets and articles from great thinkers – all hand written! Occasionally, my father would also ruminate on life using this small journal as a tool.
Everything that inspired or enabled us to make sense of the crazy world around secured the space in that journal. It was a shared stream of wise thoughts on living a simple, meaningful life.
And then we were invaded by demands of life and career. By technology. We saw ourselves writing and reading digitally more often without even realizing when the trusty pen silently gave way to the keyboard.
Analog journal gave way to business blog that I started in 2006. The goal here was to get wise in business and record my lessons on leadership and learning. The blog evolved to gather recognition across the globe. This journey of learning and expressing extended to Twitter and other social media platforms, and resulted in my first book in 2009. The mere act of thinking and putting my points of view out there made me a better professional and a better learner.
As social media proliferated, algorithms started mediating, attention spans started going down, and what was once seen as “expression” became “content that would please algorithms”.
And then, on one rainy Tuesday morning, the memories of maintaining a personal log of thoughts, ideas and inspiration came back to the fore. There was a strong urge to travel back in time and continue with the process of exploring the random dots of life, connecting them in some way of the other, sharing inspiration and being inspired in the process. The real reward in the journey of life is the journey itself. As we move along this journey, we notice things, things notice us, we evolve and we weave a life together.
And therefore, a digital version of “Flow Notes” is born. A space for sharing what I learn and encounter in the flow of life. FlowNotes are quick and short notes to capture fleeting wisdom as it passes by us. It is an attempt to delve deeper into higher dimensions of life beyond trials of mere survival. A playground of emerging insights if you will.
I hope that this journey will take us some place worthwhile, enabling us to connect the seemingly random dots that make up a wise and meaningful life.
So, join in this exploration. I look forward to our conversations here, and elsewhere.