
Each time I went to the line, the basket looked enormous, the ball small, and I felt like I was within inches of the basket. None of those things were true, but I was LOCKED. IN. I was focused. I was in “the zone”. It turns out, I was experiencing “flow”.
FLOW: when you are fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement and enjoyment in the process of the activity.
This concept, explored most famously by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (We’ll call him M.C., for obvious reasons). M.C. argues that when our minds, hearts, and bodies are stretched to their limits, voluntarily, to accomplish something difficult or worthwhile. . . we enter the mental state of flow.
It can be exercise. It can be sport. It can be art. It can be work. In all arenas, flow is possible when we live deeply with focus.
This is worth a pause to consider:
- When was the last time you voluntarily stretched yourself to the limit for something worthwhile?
- When was the last time you were so focused and immersed in something that you legitimately lost track of time?
Let’s find out. It’s worth the risk, because i’ve learned,
If you’re always staring at your phone, you’ll never have the opportunity to lose track of time.