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.  The podcast is driven by the same philosophy that has illuminated and now drives Arman’s own life: his “Flow Manifesto.” <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.  They don’t give much thought to what they want.  Another nearly 2% are driven by external goals, which inevitably trap them in cycles of ups and downs based on circumstances.  They do not find ultimate, lasting satisfaction, but wind up on the “achievement junkie rollercoaster.”  The problem with this 2% approach, Arman says, isn’t the presence of goals, but the primacy given to the external aims.  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.  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.  They are in tune with their inner world, are aware of their true nature, and are friends of the present moment.  Only from this foundation do they start to adopt goals.  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 of flow; he hopes the conversations to follow will