The Flow State is the ideal mental state for peak performance; also known as the optimal state of consciousness.

Rule of Thumb: It’s better to be flowing than to be stuck, bored, or anxious.

a jazz band improvising/jammin’ together in front of an audience;

a professional sports team/athletes in the final moments of the game;

a group of emcees freestyle rapping about everything they see –

What do these things all have in common? They’re all flowing. They are 100% in the moment.

Can you think of a time when you were so immersed in a task that time disappeared and you just started flowing?

Common Ways to Experience the Flow State

You may have accessed the flow state while reading, swimming, playing a game, writing, or dancing. This list doesn’t really have a limit. Drawing, coding, playing music, playing a sport, acing a math test. Flowing is often a playful activity.

What does it take to flow? It takes practice! You can’t flow at something you haven’t practiced. You have to be able to do something fluently before you can flow with it.

Flow like water down a river. If the water can’t go over the rock, then it goes around the rock. It doesn’t try to force its way through the rock. The water’s path is determined by its surroundings. The water moves effortlessly by navigating the environment. The water’s path leverages the energy of other things like gravity and the shape of the environment. That’s how you flow.

Continued: Flow Pt. II