Flow is?
Flow…
“We live in the moment. We become lost in the experience and perform at our peak. Our breathing changes, our minds merge with our bodies and we feel ourselves drawn effortless into the heart of our element’
- Ken Robinson
To be in Flow is to be deep in the heart of your ‘Element’ or as we call it Purpose. It’s a proven psychological and emotional state that is authentic and free. Being in Flow fills you with energy, it’s when you are most productive, fatigue, hunger, time and worries melt away, joy and enthusiasm become abundant. We are empowered to become our natural self. It becomes an authentic, curious, courageous explorative moment in our lives when we can truly just ‘be’. Engaging in pursuits that fill us with this energy is worthwhile and one of the vital reasons to pursue purpose. There feels to be no obstacle, just a sense of what is possible. It’s enjoyable and has rightly been described by many as the ‘optimal human experience’. Csikszentmihalyi, 2008.
Being conscious of this state brings a greater sense of achievement and purpose. Many sports people, creators and musicians have a finely tuned sense of Flow as it’s often associated with achieving their optimal outcomes, evident when they seem to effortlessly deliver world class performances.
Supporting you to access your Flow state is one of our key priorities. Maybe it’s doing something you love, being with someone you love, doing something purposeful. Flow is one of life’s highly enjoyable states of being, wrapping us entirely in the present, and helping us be more creative, productive, and fulfilled. In all of this to access your Flow state will consist of following attributes:
First, an optimal Flow state is created when we tackle challenges that are just the right level of ‘stretch’ for our skill sets. Neither too tough nor unstimulating.
Second, we have unambiguous short-term goals and we receive instant feedback on progress. This condition makes us aware of our progress and allows us to change our goal-oriented actions accordingly. It feels contained and manageable, the instant gratification is self-fulfilling and motivating. This perpetuates the Flow sensation.
The benefits of accessing Flow more often have been attributed to better life outcomes. In addition to making activities more enjoyable, Flow also has a number of other advantages such as:
Better emotional regulation: With increased Flow, we also experience more emotional growth. This can help you develop skills that allow you to find peace and emotional resilience
Greater enjoyment and fulfillment: In Flow state, the task becomes more enjoyable, we are also more likely to find it rewarding and fulfilling.
Greater sense of purpose: Entering Flow state reinforces our sense of purpose by celebrating the activities linked to our sense of meaning.
Greater intrinsic motivation: Because Flow is a positive mental state, it can help increase joy and fulfilment. Intrinsic motivation involves doing things for internal rewards.
Increased engagement: In Flow state we feel fully involved in the task at hand. We are emboldened by the outcomes and courage, compassion, curiosity, gratitude and generosity benefit all areas of our life.
Improved performance: Researchers have found that Flow can enhance performance in a wide variety of areas including teaching, learning, athletics, and artistic pursuits
Growth and skill development: Because the act of achieving Flow indicates a substantial mastery of a certain skill, we have to keep seeking new challenges and information in order to maintain this state.
More creativity: Flow states often take place during creative tasks, which can help inspire greater creative and artistic outcomes
We’ve looked at the benefits and factors that can help push you into a State of Flow, one absolute requirement is a clear sense of personal purpose. When we place ourselves more often at the intersection of our purpose and action we are likely to enter flow state more often; your battery pack for a life of creativity and vitality.
Factors to increase your Access to Flow
Define your purpose – serving your purpose by performing more meaningful activities, more often increase your chances of accessing Flow
Set clear intentions/goals: Flow is likely to occur when we are faced with a task that has clear goals .
Eliminate distractions: It's more difficult to experience Flow if there are things in your environment competing for your attention.
Add an element of challenge: Flow also happens when a person's skills are fully involved in overcoming a challenge that is just on the wrong side of comfortable, it’s the sweet spot for learning new skills and increasing challenges
Choose something you enjoy: Focus on stuff you love! Simple…
Select your environment well: Decide a location or setting that feels good, it’s usually calming, free of obligation and offers positive association.
What if we could create a life where we felt more in Flow? How would this transform our life experience? How do we get there? Firstly, let’s think about two separate but interconnected concepts of flow. Macro Flow and Micro Flow.
Micro Flow refers more to the act of being in a “flow state” as outlined above. It’s that moment in time that feels like a vacuum. Ideas come freely, your facility increases as your energy becomes focussed. The challenge of the task or outcome becomes a creative, pleasurable pursuit. Whereas Macro Flow refers to the way energy and vitality freely move between our life buckets. When you are clear on what “good looks like” and you are living the intentions you set for yourself within each bucket, life feels “effortless”. Energy freely flows unchecked between your buckets and is harmoniously shared across all aspects of your life. Your day-to-day life feels more intuitive. It’s no surprise then, that the emotional consequences of being in a macro flow state are happiness, fulfilment, joy and genuine exhilaration.
Both Macro Flow and Micro Flow engage us with our gifts and passions, fill us with energy and encourage us to truly just “be”. The two are interconnected, meaning that when your life buckets are effortless and you are living your intentions, you will be frequently accessing “flow state” and reaping the rewards of doing so.
