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Hello friend,
How are you today?
Take a slow, deep breath with me.
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Last week, we explored something subtle about how we experience time.
You can remember the past.
You can imagine the future.
But you can only begin in one place:
here.
This week, we move into the next phase of training.
Because once your attention returns to the present moment, something else becomes possible:
space.
And when there is enough space, something new can begin to emerge.
That’s one way to understand creative flow.
Not as performance.
Not as pressure.
Not as forcing yourself to produce.
But as what can happen when your attention is no longer split between replay, anticipation, self-monitoring, and effort.
Creative flow is often misunderstood as intensity.
But often it begins as relief.
A little less pressure.
A little less contraction.
A little more room.
That is what Step 3 can help create.
Not content.
Conditions.
And from those conditions, a next step can appear more clearly.
Let’s practice.
We move through the same 5 Inner Steps every time:
Answer → Intend → Focus → Flow → Begin
Let’s begin…
Step 1 — Answer
Take one slow breath.
As you exhale, quietly ask yourself:
What kind of moment is this for me right now?
When it comes to creativity or making something new, how does this moment feel?
Blocked?
Pressured?
Flat?
Crowded?
Open?
Just notice.
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Name it in a word or two.
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Now notice where that feeling lives in your body.
Maybe as tightness.
Maybe as resistance.
Maybe as fatigue.
Maybe as a feeling of too muchness.
You don’t need to change it.
You’re simply locating where you are.
That’s enough.
Step 1 is complete.
Step 2 — Intend
Take another long, slow breath.
As you exhale, silently say:
I intend to become fully present over the next few minutes.
Again:
I intend to become fully present over the next few minutes.
Let that intention land in your body.
Not as pressure.
As permission.
You are not trying to force creativity.
You are creating enough presence for something real to emerge.
Feel that intention settle.
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When you can feel it clearly in your body, Step 2 is complete.
Step 3 — Focus
Take another slow breath.
Now bring 100% of your attention into this moment.
Start with your body.
Feel where you are supported.
The chair.
The floor.
The ground beneath you.
Notice the quiet buzz of your body.
Roughly 30 trillion cells, alive and active.
Now listen.
What is the closest sound you can hear?
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Then the next.
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Then something farther away.
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Stay connected to the buzz of your body while you listen.
Now imagine that your attention has more room than usual.
Not because the world is simpler.
But because you are less entangled with what is not here.
Let your awareness widen a little.
As if the mind had sky in it.
As if there were enough space for one thought, one image, one next move to emerge without being crowded.
Nothing to force.
Nothing to produce yet.
Just room.
Body.
Sound.
Space.
If your mind drifts into pressure or performance, that’s okay.
Return.
That’s what the practice is.
Returning to the conditions that let life move.
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Stay here for a few breaths.
Presence.
Space.
Possible next movement.
Step 4 — Flow
From this more present state, quietly ask yourself:
What’s the next small creative step?
Not the whole project.
Not the whole solution.
Just the next honest movement.
One paragraph.
One sketch.
One note.
One sentence.
One adjustment.
One beginning.
See yourself taking that step.
Not perfectly.
Just really.
Let presence flow into that next move.
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When you can see it clearly, this step is complete.
Step 5 — Begin
A Presence Shift isn’t complete until you begin.
So quietly ask yourself:
What’s the first 10-second action I can take to begin?
Take one final slow breath.
And when you are ready —
begin.
Stay present,
Sean
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Sean Sullivan, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and creator of The Presence Shift®, a science-based, 5-step ritual for presence shifting in real life moments.
Emotional Safety Notice & Warning
The statements on The Presence Shift have not been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. This project is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The Presence Shift is not intended as medical advice or as a replacement for professional health or mental health services.
Some content may be emotionally provocative, including references to abuse, trauma, grief, and other difficult experiences. If you are not feeling comfortable, please stop until you feel safe again. You can explore getting emotional support anytime at wannatalkaboutit.com — or by calling 988 in the United States or your local crisis line.
