Are you a Flâneur?

As an introvert and/or highly sensitive person I would hazard a guess that you potentially are...'Hang on a second, don't jump the gun!' you may be thinking; 'first of all, what on earth is a flâneur?'

I think I know, but I'm still not sure. What I do know however is that I love what I think it is...

It's a word that I came across for the first time in Laurie Helgoe's book Introvert Power. Like so much of the great stuff in that book it gave me another big 'aha!' moment. After further research I discovered some more about it and came to love the concept in greater depth.

Flâneur originated as a French word. The reason it hasn't been translated into English is that there is no good enough direct translation for it.

Flâneur: Rooted in Movement

Flâner is a verb meaning to stroll. To saunter, wander, and move without agenda through the city. It is to observe with mindfulness and as Alain de Botton says to "stand in deliberate opposition to capitalist society, and its two great imperatives: to be in a hurry, and to buy things".

This is the desired state of being for many introverts and highly sensitive people. In this episode of the podcast I discuss how flâneurship can really benefit us in so many ways.

For example: Self-Care, Creative Inspiration, Deeper Empathy, Energy-Creation, and Intuition.

And I finish by suggesting some ways other than buying a tortoise and walking it around town, that we can become more effective flâneurs.

Over to You

Do you resonate with the notion of what it means to be a flâneur? And when have you found it a useful mindset in your own experience? I'd love to hear your thoughts, please leave your response in the comments below.