"The data is clear. Flow is the very thing that makes us come alive."
- The Rise of Superman, page x
"Most people live in a very restricted circle of their potential being. They make use of a very small portion of their possible consciousness, and of their soul’s resources in general, much like a man who, out of his whole organism, should get into a habit of using and moving only his little finger."- The Rise of Superman, page 11
Let’s begin by defining terms. “Flow is an optimal state of consciousness, a peak state where we both feel our best and perform our best. It is a transformation available to anyone, anywhere, provided that certain initial conditions are met.” Flow has been this elusive “thing” that we hear more and more about, and usually in the context of sports. Many say that the topic of flow came into mainstream awareness in the 90’s with Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls basketball dynasty.
Kolter studies action sports athletes, which happen to be among the easiest to monitor the effects of getting into and performing in a peak flow state.
The reason for this is because of the immediate feedback loops and consequences if they do not achieve their desired goal, i.e. a skateboarder who crashes hard on a ramp trick or Michael Jordan missing a shot at the buzzer to lose the game. Danny Way explains it like this: “it’s either find the zone or suffer the consequences—there’s no other choice available.”
If you’re like me, you’re thinking this is all really interesting, however I’m not Michael Jordan nor am I an extreme sports athlete, so how can flow impact me and how do I get into that state? While the consequences for us may not be as severe, there are some common conditions and triggers for entering a flow state which I’ll explain below.
"No one ever has a bad time in a flow state."- The Rise of Superman, page 29
Kolter begins to explore the conditions for flow with a story about Laird Hamilton, the famous big wave surfer, and how he used his flow state to conquer riding the giant waves of Teahupoo.
“Within this experience,” Kolter explains, “we discover three of the more curious and basic properties of flow: the profound mental clarity provided by the state; the emotional detachment that tends to accompany this clarity; and a hint of automatic nature – how one right decision always leads to the next right decision.” When you’re in the zone, all of those experiences combine to help propel you to doing great things.
Kolter names the three characteristics that are considered the top conditions for flow, courtesy of Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the godfather of flow:
If you’re able to set up an environment that provides those three conditions, you are on your way to entering your peak flow state.
"And the average person–you and me–must be willing to fail, look foolish, and fall flat on our faces should we wish to enter this state."- The Rise of Superman, page 102
Among the biggest flow hacks are environment and risk. If we aren’t in an environment where risk is present then we will not enter the flow state and get the benefits of accelerated performance. The author clearly states that the risk does not need to be physical risk. For example, if public speaking is something that scares you, by merely doing the act, the same triggers occur in your brain, taking you one step closer to entering the zone.
Another simple flow hack is humility. Kolter quotes Dr. James Olds, who says “when you’re arrogant and egotistical, you’re shutting out complexity, novelty and unpredictability to preserve a distorted self-image.” What Dr. Olds is saying here is that having humility allows us to be open and more receptive to the information coming in and at us so that we’re learning, reacting and staying in the zone.
“What the world needs most is Superman. What the worlds needs most is us.”
Steven Kotler is a bestselling author and an award-winning journalist. His books include the non-fiction works: Abundance, A Small, Furry Prayer, and West of Jesus, and the novel The Angle Quickest for Flight. His articles have appeared in over 60 publications, including: New York Times Magazine, Wired, Discover, Popular Science, Outside, GQ, and National Geographic. He writes “The Playing Field,” a blog about the science of sport and culture for PsychologyToday.com.
