We’ve all felt it, that zone when everything sees to work effortlessly.
Perhaps it was during a run. Perhaps it was during a life or death situation or while at your desk where time disappeared and words effortlessly flow from your brain to the word document.
No matter what the circumstances were, where you were at, or what the activity actually was, the zone can be experienced.
A new book has been released called The Rise of Superman, and its topic is that coveted “zone”.
“This is our mystery: a rare and radical state of consciousness where the impossible becomes possible. This is the secret that action and adventure athletes like Way have plumbed, the real reason ultimate human performance has advanced nearly exponentially these past few decades. The zone, quite literally, is the shortest path toward superman.”
The author, Steven Kotler, discusses “time dilation”, which is described here:
““Everything was moving in super slow motion,” Dean Potter recounts. “I had time to hear the advice my friends were shouting down at me, to think about it, to turn my parachute, to hear more advice, to see the orange rope, to realize what it was, to grab for it, try to hang on, not be able to hold it, hear my friends shouting more instructions, try again. It was a lot to do and a long, complicated conversation. But it was all happening so slowly, I could process all that information and make the right decisions.””
Time Dilation actually reminded me a lot of the fight scenes from Sherlock Holmes
While flow’s triggers and experiences are often different, there are commonalities. Often it is described as an almost out of body experience, and with my last time in flow state, that’s what I remember. It was a dark and rainy run (as it often is in Portland) and I seem to recall every aspect of the run as if I was watching myself from a spectator’s point of view in slow motion.
If you’re interested in learning more about Flow, I definitely suggest you pick up Rise of Super Man!
Kyle @ SKORA