#41 - Floating
Good timing, trivia, and irrational
I’m not going to die today. I realised, as I lay there naked.
Thank God for that…
Welcome new readers! If you’re reading this but haven’t subscribed you can subscribe here:
Good Timing
The day was last Tuesday and I was lying in the pitch black, floating in warm salty water. I was in a sensory deprivation tank at Floatworks in Angel. For one hour you’re alone in the tank with nothing but your thoughts. Intense.
My float on Tuesday was rather life changing. Floats usually are. I started floating in 2019, not long before my re-brand. I used to do it every 3-4 weeks but the Pandemic kept me away. Until Tuesday.
Tuesday was a hectic day. We’re swinging for the fences at Unplugged this summer and that inevitably brings complications. Things break. On Tuesday I was juggling everything from an impending cash crunch to a last minute land scramble, and I was frazzled. Luckily, I had a float booked.
Trivial
Nothing bad is going to happen. That’s what I realised 10 minutes into my float.
It’s easy as a founder to feel threatened by the daily fires. They flare up our inbuilt survival instinct. It’s as if our lives are in danger. In the heat of the day it’s hard to see this. An unexpected payment or some negative feedback, and it really does feel dangerous. But it’s not. For whatever reason the floatation tank is excellent place to see this.
It takes a few minutes for the mind to settle down when you get in the tank. The first couple of minutes are spent feeling mildly ridiculous before thing start to happen. I’m not sure why it’s so effective. I suspect the removal of sensation leaves the whole mind free to process. No longer is it scattered in a million directions. The stresses of the day now have your undivided attention.
Once your attention is free to inspect the damage the findings are remarkable. This isn’t actually dangerous. What on earth was I worried about? That thing your mind has spent the day saying might kill you? Trivial. Nothing to worry about at all! In fact, it might just be a good thing.
A free mind is a powerful mind. What happens next is magical. Once the problems have been properly judged and assessed, the full creative power of the human mind comes into play. There’s no other environment where my mind operates as well in as a floatation tank. It’s quite a delight. Ideas flow. Problems get solved. Life looks rosier. Truly magic.
Irrational
We’re irrational. It’s as simple as that. We spend our days over-stimulated, stressing about problems like our lives are in danger. Yet 99.9% of the time they’re not. I’m not going to die because of a cabin installation being delayed (if I do, please inscribe my headstone: “He spoke too soon.”). But the good news is that there is a rational mind in there.
The floatation tank helps us quieten the irrational mind. All day the bastard is chattering away. We need a break. It’s also why meditation works so well. Meditation is a daily, more gradual taming of that mind. Both make us less reactive.
Life in 2021 is difficult. But the difficulty is self-inflicted. You’re the one making it difficult. You’re also the one with the power to make it easier. Good luck.
If you have any queries about floating drop me a reply. I have no affiliation with Floatworks; I’m just a fan.
Floatworks, if you’re reading this and you’d like to sponsor the newsletter, get in touch. Floats will be accepted as payment.
My Week in Books📚
Augustus by Adrian Goldsworthy
Wonderful. The first emperor of Rome. Not a must read but if you’ve read Caesar then I’d highly recommend. This is what happened next.
Augustus learnt from Julius Caesar’s mistakes. The result is an impressive 40 years ruling the Roman Empire, and death by natural causes- a rare thing for the time.
Then again he didn’t get a Shakespeare play named after him. So who’s to say who’d be happier. It all depends what you’re optimising for.
Fame by Andy Warhol
Warhol on love, beauty, and fame. A quick and amusing read. I find genuine humility so endearing in writing and AW has it in spades. Bravo.
I’ll be updating the books I’ve read this year here. Any recommendations? Let me know!
A Final Thought 💡
“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.”
– Winston Churchill