1. The Flow Manifesto

<p>In this premiere episode of <em>FLOW, </em>host Arman Assadi, a California native and successful entrepreneur with a storied professional background, realizes an 8-year dream as he begins his unique podcast project. He spends the episode setting the groundwork for what is to come; the podcast will include conversations with influencers and thought leaders, ultimately aiming to help listeners find flow, fulfillment, and the oft-elusive ideal of happiness.&nbsp; The podcast is driven by the same philosophy that has illuminated and now drives Arman’s own life: his “Flow Manifesto.”&nbsp;<br><br>The manifesto starts with a foundational premise: about 98% of humanity is coasting by, going through the motions, and living the life drawn up for them by the status quo.&nbsp; They don’t give much thought to what they want.&nbsp; Another nearly 2% are driven by external goals, which inevitably trap them in cycles of ups and downs based on circumstances.&nbsp; They do not find ultimate, lasting satisfaction, but wind up on the “achievement junkie rollercoaster.”&nbsp; The problem with this 2% approach, Arman says, isn’t the presence of goals, but the primacy given to the external aims.&nbsp; A point of massive personal clarity led Arman to turn this approach on its head.<br><br>Arman has recently found that your path to fulfillment (in other words, your state of flow) comes from an awareness of who you really are.&nbsp; The happiest people you know—the great masters, as it were, who comprise a fraction of a percentage of all people—know and demonstrate this.&nbsp; They are in tune with their inner world, are aware of their true nature, and are friends of the present moment.&nbsp; Only from this foundation do they start to adopt goals.&nbsp; Those who live in a state of flow are able to lose themselves and let their higher selves simply act, developing mastery and working consistently toward a purpose that will ideally help others.<br><br>In this podcast project, Arman is realizing his own purpose and living from a place o