Finding The Edge: How to Direct Your Energy for Growth and Flow

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by Oli Anderson, Transformational Coach for Realness

Are you a shotgun or a laser beam?

There’s a restless, jittery feeling that sometimes gnaws away at your peace of mind. It’s as though your body and mind are brimming with energy, but it feels erratic, scattered, or downright overwhelming.

When this feeling kicks in, you may find yourself flitting from one thing to another – unable to focus – or maybe you’ll end up pouring energy into things that just don’t feel REAL or meaningful, becoming increasingly frustrated or even drained as things continue to spiral and the call of the Void consumes you.

Here’s the TRUTH you need to know about this restlessness:

Scattered energy is often a sign that something deeper is out-of-sync because you haven’t found your Edge.

When you’re not at your edge, your energy has nowhere meaningful to go – it gets stuck, misdirected, or wasted on things that don’t matter and this just opens up a negative spiral of restlessness and jitteriness as your energy turns against you instead of being directed into a real purpose.

But what exactly is the ‘Edge’? Why does it matter so much? And how do you find it without watching your whole life start toppling over into chaos?

This article explores this vital concept, weaving in coaching theory and practical tips for channelling your energy into growth, flow, and creative momentum.

Let’s get started:

The Edge: Where Growth and Flow Live

Your Edge is that sweet spot where challenge and ability meet each other in REALITY – it’s the place where you’re stretching yourself just enough to grow, but not so much that you’re overwhelmed.

Being at your edge means you’re operating in the Stretch Zone – a state where you’re pushing beyond your comfort zone without tipping into panic but where your ideas about yourself (ego) can meet the truth (realness) and you can find INSIGHT that frees you from old patterns that no longer serve you.

To understand this more clearly, let’s break it down using the coaching framework of the Comfort Zone, Stretch Zone, and Panic Zone:

  1. The Comfort Zone: This is where things feel safe and familiar because it doesn’t challenge your IDENTITY (ego) in any way – you know what to expect, and everything feels manageable and within your control.

    Even though it’s important to rest here occasionally, staying in your comfort zone for too long leads to stagnation because reality and life keep changing around you and when you stop moving you take yourself out of the flow.

    Here in the comfort zone, energy has nowhere to go because there’s no challenge to direct it toward and so eventually this energy can stagnate and we just end up becoming passive and listless (if we stay here too long).

  2. The Stretch Zone (The Edge): This is the zone of optimal growth because you’re taking on challenges that push you to expand your skills, creativity, or understanding.

    It’s stimulating, energising, and even a little uncomfortable – but in the REALEST way because you’re always pushing just beyond what you currently know about yourself, the world, and reality and using the UNCERTAINTY that it brings to find out what’s actually REAL about you.

    In this zone, your energy is focused like a laser, building momentum and flow and so you can keep moving and navigating life towards wherever it is that you know you truly belong (which is always a deeper sense of WHOLENESS).

  3. The Panic Zone: Push too far beyond your edge, and you’ll find yourself in the panic zone.

    This is where overwhelm, anxiety, and burnout live because you’re pushing yourself beyond the healthy tension of the Stretch Zone and entering a place of STRESS (which is caused by you giving your nervous system more than it’s currently ready to handle).

    Instead of growing, you shut down or spiral out of control – your energy becomes chaotic and unmanageable and you end up completely overwhelmed because the stress and pressure become too much.

Finding and staying at your EDGE means recognising when you’re too comfortable and need to stretch – or when you’ve stretched too far and need to recalibrate.

This is a dynamic balancing act – which can be done daily from one-moment-to-the-next – but the more you work on being honest with yourself and looking at how near or far away you are from your edge, the better you’ll get at it.

Scattered Energy vs. Laser Focus

When you’re not at your edge, your energy becomes scattered: think of it like a shotgun blast – powerful, but spread out in every direction.

You might be ‘busy’ being ‘busy’, but your efforts feel disjointed, and your results are shallow and intermittent instead of deep and consistent. This often happens when you’re stuck in your comfort zone or lacking a clear purpose to channel your energy toward.

On the other hand, when you’re operating at your edge, your energy becomes focused – like a laser beam. You know exactly where to direct your efforts and you can go deep into your work or purpose because there’s a sense of alignment and flow where everything you do feels meaningful and connected.

This is because the EDGE keeps you locked into reality whereas the comfort zone and panic zone both take you out of it.

The difference between being a ‘shotgun’ or being a ‘laser’ often comes down to one thing and one thing alone:

Your ability to stretch yourself deliberately and intentionally.

Signs You’re Not at Your Edge

How do you know if you’re off balance and need to recalibrate?

  • Restlessness: You feel jittery, agitated, or bored, even if there’s plenty to do.
  • Scattered Focus: You’re bouncing between tasks without really finishing anything or feeling deeply engaged.
  • Low Motivation: Without a meaningful challenge, it’s hard to summon the energy to care about what you’re doing.
  • Overwhelm: On the flip side, you might feel paralysed by too much chaos and STRESS, indicating you’ve moved into the panic zone.
  • Stagnation: You’ve been coasting for too long and things feel too predictable or repetitive.
  • Passivity: You find it hard to take any action whatsoever because you’re so used to being comfortable but unsatisfied.

These feelings are signals from your body, mind, and nervous system (a combination of both) – they’re telling you it’s time to re-evaluate where you’re directing your energy and whether you need to stretch yourself into new challenges and ways of BEING.

How to Find Your Edge

Finding your edge is about pushing yourself just enough to grow, without tipping into overwhelm.

Here’s how to get started:

  1. Reflect on Your Energy Levels
    Pay attention to how your energy feels: Is it scattered like a shotgunor focused like a laser? If you’re feeling restless or disjointed, it’s a sign that you need to recalibrate.

    Ask yourself:
    • Am I challenging myself enough, or have I been coasting?
    • Am I taking on too much and feeling overwhelmed?

  2. Identify a Real Challenge
    The key to finding your edge is to focus on one real thing that stretches you. This could be a project, a skill you want to develop, or a personal goal that excites and scares you a little. The challenge should feel meaningful and aligned with your REAL values or purpose.

  3. Step Into the Stretch Zone
    Commit to taking action that pushes you out of your comfort zone. Start small if needed, but make sure it feels like a genuine stretch. For example:
    • If you’re stuck in routine, try taking on a new responsibility or learning something new.
    • If you’re feeling overwhelmed, focus on simplifying and prioritising one thing at a time.

      Create a STRETCH GOAL for yourself that encourages you to do something you’re doing to the next level.

  4. Recalibrate as Needed
    Finding your edge is a dynamic process – sometimes, you’ll stretch too far and need to pull back; other times, you’ll realise you’re still too comfortable and need to push harder. Regularly reflect on your progress and adjust accordingly.

  5. Use Somatic Practices to Ground Yourself
    As you stretch yourself, it’s important to stay connected to your body and energy whilst having a regulated nervous system.

    Practices like breathwork, yoga, or mindful movement can help you stay balanced and prevent overwhelm. These tools can also help you tune into your REALNESS and recognise when you’re truly at your edge.

The Edge and Flow

When you’re at your edge, something seemingly magical happens: flow (actually, it’s not “magic” – you’ve just tuned back into the reality of wholeness instead of all the fragmented beliefs in your mind-body that kept you from it).

This is the state where you’re fully immersed in what you’re doing, and everything feels effortless and enjoyable. Building this kind of flow is where REAL growth happens – it’s where your energy is fully aligned with your actions and you’re operating at your highest potential.

Being in flow doesn’t mean everything is easy. In fact, it often feels challenging but it’s the kind of challenge that excites and energises you, rather than draining you. By finding your edge and staying there, you create the conditions for flow to emerge and that’s where REAL life starts to happen.

Final Thoughts: Living at the Edge

Your EDGE is where real life happens and where you feel most alive. It’s where you grow, create, and find meaning. By stepping into the stretch zone and aligning your energy with a real challenge, you can overcome stagnation and build the kind of momentum that leads to true flow.

Being at your edge doesn’t mean pushing yourself to the brink of exhaustion – it’s just about finding that sweet spot where challenge meets ability, where your energy is focused like a laser, and you’re growing real.

Follow some of the tips in this article, find your edge, and watch how your energy transforms from scattered to unstoppable.

Stay real out there,


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Hi, I'm Oli Anderson - a Transformational Coach for REALNESS and author who helps people to tap into their REALNESS by increasing Awareness of their real values and intentions, to Accept themselves and reality, and to take inspired ACTION that will change their lives forever and help them find purpose. Click here to read my story about how I died, lost it all, and then found reality.

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