This week, I’m talking about how over-thinking can clog up our communication.

Do you work hard when communicating?

Are you back on Zoom this week after hoping for more in-person opportunities?

We’re all exhausted. We’re managing changing schedules due to lockdowns, school closures, and sickness. Many of us have nothing left to give, or as my 4-year-old says, “I ran out of energy”.

One reason I love this work is that it’s dynamic. It grows with us. The tools work and that’s exciting.

But for one of my long-term clients last month, we had to throw the tools away. He was working too hard!

What if flow is your natural state?

I know you might not feel this way in your most challenging interactions, but what about when you do feel comfortable? Can you access your ideas? Do you work less hard? Are you more at ease?

This week, try communicating with far less effort, especially if you feel like you don’t have any other choice. And because it is effective.

If you are someone like me who has struggled with communication in your life, then it can feel downright terrifying to relinquish some effort when speaking. We feel like we have to think really deeply in order to access our best ideas, but that usually ends in us losing our train of thought.

There is no right word. There are a million ways to articulate your ideas. You are in charge of choosing. But if you are stressing, it’s much harder to access what you want to say.

Instead of flipping the switch from full comfort to full panic, muscle-memory that flow into your more challenging moments. Work towards ease, not because it’s easy, but because it simplifies the process of communicating and gives you more power.

Focus on your own physical comfort so you can be more at ease. This will allow your thinking to be far more generative and embodied, rather than analytical and rigid.

Can you trust that flow is your natural state? When you move towards that as a north star, does it put your communication at more ease?

Flow is your natural state and your natural state is exceptional. Your voice is perfect. How does your communication change if you believe that?

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!