Flow in positive psychology, also known colloquially as being in the zone, is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in one's sense of time.
Finding your Flow is hard. It requires a perfect balance between challenge and skills, and a certain mental state.
Professional Athletes are seeking this state constantly. And, while some efforts can become gruesome and challenging for the body and mind, maintaining a clear mind in these moments, a certain level of focus, is key to success.
There are lots of lessons we can take from sports and apply to business. The resilience, dedication, discipline and determination. But one thing is different for sure. In sports, you get immediate feedback from your actions. In business, especially in technology and in product, you have to be patient and wait for feedback. And so staying in the flow requires a different type of discipline and mental stability.
These are some of the super interesting topics I discussed with my friend Mitch DeForest, in episode 50 of The Future Of The Future podcast.
Mitch is a Cofounder and Product Head at Ramped, a platform designed to simplify the job search, breaking barriers of bias in the job market and helping individuals get their dream jobs. Mitch was also a semi-professional Athlete during his youth, as a swimmer, and he would spend as much as 40 hours a week training in the water.
He is still a waterman and he enjoys surfing and traveling all across the world. He doesn’t train as hard nowadays, but there are many lessons he applies on a daily basis to his business. Especially when it comes to perspective on hard work, input and output, resilience and determination.
I had an amazing conversation with Mitch. We talked about entrepreneurship, life, and flow... Lots and lots about flow and how and where to find it.
Every time I listen to this episode I feel like picking up the conversation again.
Enjoy!!!