GINO AND ROB - FLOWT
===
[00:00:00] Gino Wickman: Welcome to the Shed and Shine Podcast. I am Gino Wickman. This is where Rob Dube and I help driven entrepreneurs shed their shit, free their True Selves, unlock true entrepreneurial freedom and shine. We truly appreciate you taking the time to spend with us and we hope.
[00:00:22] Rob Dube: Hey everyone and welcome to the Shed and Shine Podcast where we discuss how looking inward is the key to unlocking true entrepreneurial freedom. My name is Rob Dube and I am here with my very, very good friend, Gino Wickman. Gino, good to see you again. How are ya?
[00:00:39] Gino Wickman: I am fantastic. How about you, my friend?
[00:00:41] Rob Dube: I'm doing great. I'm excited. This is going to be a shorter episode, but it's an important one, because it's on a very well known term, and the term is Flowt. I'm kidding when I say that. I want to spell this term F L O W T. You came up with this term and I love it. It's a word that I hope ends up in the dictionary one day.
I want to start by defining this for the listener. What does Flowt mean? Flowt is what happens when your fear no longer drives you. It's when you are both driven and experiencing peace at the same time. It's harnessing the constant flow of ideas, allowing yourself to make clear decisions, attract opportunities, and find peace the entire time.
It's letting love and peace drive you. Not pain and fear. Okay, sign me up. So Gino, talk a little bit about the origin of this for you, where it kind of came up for you, and then let's talk a little bit about how we get into this state of Flowt.
[00:01:53] Gino Wickman: Awesome. Well, so, the history of this is interesting and fun, and I'm trying to think back to, I think it goes back about three years ago, for those of you out there familiar with EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System, the planning tool in that system is called a Vision Traction Organizer.
And as part of that planning tool, every client creates a three year picture. And so it was about three years ago, ironically, I put in my three year picture that I want to Flowt. Okay, and so I hit my team with it. They hated it. No kidding. For about a year. Hate it is a strong word, but they weren't fond of it, but it's a word, it just came to me and it's what I felt like was happening for me.
And so it just kind of came to me and again, it was a combination of those two words, which I'll come back to in just a second. So we put it in the three year picture, repeated it every quarter and you and I joined forces two years ago. I then shared that word with you, and it has now become a 10 Disciplines thing, which we've now trademarked it, and you know, it's become a real thing, and just a fun thing. And so, it's the coming together of two things, and I touched on this in the previous episode, but it's basically the word flow, F L O W, and the word float, F L O A T.
I think I'm spelling that right. But it's the coming together of those two words into one word, F L O W T. The flow side is that driven, impact, productivity piece that we driven entrepreneurs possess in our souls and our beings and our True Selves. And so it's when we're doing that work, it's just being in a flow state while we're doing that work, while we're bringing our craft to the world combined with this feeling of floating, this lightness, that's the peace side of things.
And it's the combination of those two things, doing amazing work in the world, being in flow while feeling like we're floating. Doing it, being and feeling peaceful in our central nervous system.
[00:04:10] Rob Dube: So let's talk about how do we get there? And the first part of our definition is fear is no longer driving you.
And so how do we work towards that? How do we mentally get into a place where we recognize that fear is driving us and we begin to come from more of a place of love or from our heart?
[00:04:29] Gino Wickman: Well there's a really short, simple answer and that is - we shed a whole bunch of shit. So, there it is. There's the answer.
That's how you Flowt. Just shed all your shit. And I just want to touch on that a little deeper because, you know, I really do believe that there are people out there that are going, once they get the concept of just, you know, shedding your stuff and literally Flowting. There are some that will instantly do it.
I never had that luxury. It's taken me decades. It's progressed much more quickly in the last four years, but it really is about letting go of the past for lack of a better term. And it's in the past, in the shedding the shit, as we call it, it isn't always pain and trauma, although there's some of that, and not everyone had extreme pain or trauma.
A lot of us driven entrepreneurs have that drive that gets us in a lot of trouble. But it's also conditioning. It's also things that we've learned from the past that do not serve us. And we learned this from parents and family members and friends and elders and books we've read, whatever it is, all that conditioning that went on.
Before you know, we became adults. It's shedding all of that stuff that isn't you, that isn't the real you. And it's just about creating awareness about what all that stuff is. And again, the idea is to let it all go, to put it all in the past, no longer make it part of your story, getting rid of the illusions, getting rid of all the stories, and just going forward.
And it is possible to shed all that stuff and so some, unfortunately, will take the multi decade approach to shedding it all and some will literally, I'm snapping my fingers, will do it in an instant once they really understand to just let the ego go and let your True Self and freak flag fly.
[00:06:24] Rob Dube: So you know, entrepreneurs, driven entrepreneurs, they have a million ideas.
You've talked about this forever. You know how many ideas they have. And one of the parts of the definition is, it's harnessing this constant flow of ideas and allowing ourselves to make clearer decisions. So, how does getting in this state help us take all this craziness that's up here in this mind of ours, all these amazing ideas, and I love the word harness.
It's, you know, bringing it down to me at least, what's most impactful, so we are making more clear decisions.
[00:07:02] Gino Wickman: Yeah, and so let's go back and forth on this one a little bit, because I'd love to hear how you do it. I'll share how I do it, what we see our clients doing, and so I'll start with a kind of a big contextual point, and I always like to describe it as you just kind of see it all.
You see it clearer, and you know, like I mentioned on the previous episode, I talk about how it's like the matrix. You see everything in ones and zeros, and so there is, as a driven entrepreneur running a business - so many opportunities, so many ideas, so many decisions. And so if you picture this swirl of like a hundred things going on, we driven entrepreneurs are somehow able to manage all of that, see all of that for lack of a better term.
When we are in that flow state, when we are True Selves, when we're coming from the inside-out, when we're not, all that stuff is still going on, but we tend to hang on to all of it. We tend to want to pursue all of it, we tend to be afraid to let go of any of it out of fear of, oh my god, if I let go of this opportunity or if I make that… So what it helps you do is just see it all clearly.
And when you're seeing all those things and my arms are in the air right now because they're just all swirling. That's kind of how it is for me. When you come from that flow state, you see which ones are the right ones, which ones don't fit, which ones really are more fear-based, and it just helps you make better decisions.
See the ones that are the right opportunities. Run it through the right filter, which is the True Self filter, not the wrong filter, which is the ego filter, the one that gets you in trouble. And so you're running all those things in that big swirl through a love filter, as opposed to a fear filter. And you just make better decisions.
You move things forward faster. You get rid of stuff. You're able to say no a lot faster to the things that don't fit. So hopefully that's helpful. A good jumping off point. Perfect.
[00:09:01] Rob Dube: Yeah, it's so perfect. And then you find peace the entire time. So this is a hard one for some, and I want to ask you, what is peace?
What does that mean exactly?
[00:09:16] Gino Wickman: Interesting. Well, first of all, you know, we talked about the True Self Model in the previous episode and, and in that True Self Model on the right side of the model are some of the words. So I'm going to share some words and then maybe I'm going to share some feelings, but peace to me is self trust, it's love, it's intuition, it's being, it's presence, it's flow, it's energy, it's connected, it's letting go, it's awareness.
And so it's any combination of those words. It's any one of those words. But now let's go to like the feeling. And I feel like I keep saying this over and over, but it's just this lightness. It's just this light, airy feeling that is almost blissful and it's like love is the best word I can use to describe it.
You know, I always jokingly say, I realize with all of this that's gone on in the last four years of my life is I realize that, you know, I'm just a cushy love ball. I say it that way because it's shocking for everybody that knows my outer self, which is this intense, driven, hard working guy.
But I realize on the inside, that's what I am, is just this cushy love ball. And that's another way of me describing what that piece kind of feels like on the inside.
[00:10:41] Gino Wickman: So there's the best way I can describe it. Now I'd love to turn it on you. What is your definition of peace?
[00:10:46] Rob Dube: Thinking about how many people I've asked that question to and how hard it is for them to answer it actually.
And they're trying to put words on it and then one thing I notice is they get quiet and it's almost like they realize I don't know that I can describe it. It's just as you said, it's like a feeling that, again, even a feeling that I can't describe. And I think that's cool. So it's just a knowingness.
And you've brought that word really to the forefront for me through a story that you shared, which we'll get into another time. I don't think it's for today, but it's just a knowingness. It's like a trusting that it's right. And so, for me, that's a big part of it is just that knowingness.
Now, you know, one of the things we've encouraged people to do is maybe create an intention to Flowt at the beginning of your day. So first thing is bring it top of mind. And then at the end of the day, ask yourself, Did I Flowt today? This is about bringing awareness to this definition. You know, were you working from fear today?
Were you making decisions from fear? Or were they from love? Were you harnessing your ideas? Were you making clear decisions? Were you attracting the right opportunities? Was love and peace driving you, not your pain and your fear?
[00:12:12] Gino Wickman: You know, that prompts one thing, because I love that you said knowingness, because as you started talking, that's the word that came to me that I wish I would have said.
There's also nothingness. You know, so it's like, this is why it's so hard to describe because it's a nothingness. And so, watch this, a driven entrepreneur that's hard charging, goes to a place of nothingness. I mean, first of all, that is like the definition of bliss. It's this, I want to say peaceful, but we're defining peaceful.
It's just this nothingness. And your ego freaks out at the thought of nothingness, because in nothingness, you're not doing anything, you lazy ass. It is such a contradiction, an oxymoron. I don't know how to say it, but nothingness is the other word I want to put out there.
And then again, I just want to ask you this and you just take a minute and answer it. You can answer it quickly, but it's making me think about you. You and I are building a business right now. We, like crazy men, two years ago, decided to join forces and build another company.
And it's hard and you are our integrator and our visionary and we're in startup mode and there's four of us running this company and it's growing nicely. But it makes me think about like right now with, you know, you're our incredible group coaching coach. You're managing the team. I'd love for you to describe how you're applying Flowt to this crazy startup that, you know, these two successful entrepreneurs that didn't need to start another business went out and started, I would just love the audience and even for me to just hear what Flowt looks like for you in that chaotic state?
[00:14:03] Rob Dube: Well, because I teach this now, I'm just practicing everything, and I love it, and noticing is a big part to it, and it is great. I always tease you when we talk, I always say, I had such a simple life before all this. But I love it.
And so the first thing I ask myself is, did I perform well today? And did I make an impact? And the answer is far from yes every single day, but it keeps it at the forefront. So I ask myself that. I get into my body. Is my body settling? Do I feel amped up or do I feel ease in my body? I'm not talking about my mind.
I'm talking about my body. Are my decisions coming from love? They're not always coming from love. I had a situation recently with our business and I noticed how fear-based my mind was going, and why I was trying to justify X, Y, or Z, and it was total fear-based. I had to pause, and again, this is going back to the awareness and taking a moment to say, Am I Flowting?
Because I did that, and I said, “Wait a second. I need to pause. This is coming from fear. Take a step back. How can this come from love?” And then am I letting my freak flag fly? I'm trying every single day, the best I can, but that doesn't always come up. It's these societal expectations, you know, can I truly be me in this scenario?
Why not? But sometimes I'm not. And then I have to just ask myself, I don't know why. And then did I have fun today? Did I experience joy? And honestly, most days with this business, as hard as it is, I feel like that's been a very, very high yes. I really do feel that way. So, anyway, those are some of the things that you could take yourself through each day as you notice if you're Flowting.
And I'm curious for you, Gino, you know, do you have any personal examples where you notice, wow, this past week, you know, I've had a few days where I'm just like Flowting, or other days where you're just like, oh my god, like I'm in this. You know, I'm so off right now.
[00:16:17] Gino Wickman: Yeah. And I mentioned this in a previous episode, you know, I feel like where I am right now is I'm spending about 70 percent of my time Flowting and 30 percent not.
And it used to be 95 percent not, so I'm so familiar with that. That uneasy feeling that I thought, you know, that's just how everybody lived their life, and that was my destiny. So 70% of the time, I'm happy to say I'm in Flowt. And the reason I always wanna point out the 30% is I'm not perfect.
We're not perfect. We're all on this journey together. But in that Flowt state, I mean, it's heaven. I am having a blast. I'm more creative than ever. I'm creating more than ever. I'm as or more driven than ever. Just a different kind of a drive because it's more of a calling. What I'm realizing is when it comes from the inside-out and from your True Self, it's a calling.
That's my aha. I haven't shared that with anybody yet. It's a calling. When it's coming from the ego, it's drive, you know, but nonetheless, let's not get caught up in words. It's still all drive. It's still this force inside of you that's moving you forward. It's just from a much healthier place when it's a calling and a knowing to go forward with something then it is, you know, a fear-based decision that I gotta go land that client or I gotta go beat that competitor or I'm terrified of failure. I'm terrified of success. None of that is going on when you're coming from that Flowt state.
[00:17:52] Rob Dube: All right, Gino, well I mentioned at the outset this would be a shorter episode, so before we wrap, do you have any other words of wisdom that come to mind?
[00:18:01] Gino Wickman: I'm trying not to say, well Rob, we've said it all, because I'll say that a thousand times, but I really feel like we've said it all, my friend.
[00:18:09] Rob Dube: All right, cool. Well, thanks, Gino. I always appreciate these conversations. And, you know, as I mentioned, these podcasts will usually be on the shorter side, somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes.
And during the podcast, Gino and I will be expanding and providing additional flavor on the concepts from the book Shine, The 10 Disciplines, we'll be sharing new content, and every now and then we'll be bringing in a very special guest. And then don't forget, every other episode, Gino will be doing a solo riff to share what's top of mind for him, new learnings, and personal experiences.
Now, for this podcast, as I've mentioned, I usually ask the questions, but as you're noticing, the flow of our conversation is pretty organic. So, please keep tuning in. We hope you'll join us each week so you can learn to shed layers, and free your True Self and ultimately shine.
[00:19:02] Gino Wickman: Thank you for listening in today. We truly appreciate you taking the time to spend with us and please tune in for the next episode. Until then, if you'd like to see where you are on your True Self journey, Go to shedandshinepodcast.com to take the True Self Assessment and receive personalized guidance. If you're all ready to begin your inner world journey with Rob and myself, please join us for the next round of the 10 Disciplines Group Coaching Program.
We wish you all the best in freeing your True Self. Stay focused and much love.
