Hacking the Flow

Have you ever been so present and focused that it feels like everything that happens supports your frame of mind? Steven Kotler, author of The Rise of Superman, once did a guest blog for the website, Art of Manliness. In the blog he states, "researchers define flow as an “optimal state of consciousness,” a peak state where we feel our best and perform our best. Some of us know this state by other names—runner’s high or being in the zone or being unconscious—but whatever the lingo, the experience is unforgettable."

For many years I've marketed myself as a speaker, consultant, personal coach and anything else that I thought would help pay the bills. When people would ask me about my niche or who I wanted to help, my response was always, "EVERYONE! As a result, I found my energy and passion was never devoted to one particular thing. I was a jack of all trades and a master of none, as folks say.

In my mind I thought the more services I had to offer the more successful I'd be. Counterintuitively, business was limited as people didn't see me as specialized in any one area. A good friend of mine advised that I need to stop worrying about where the money is going to come from and be devoted to the skill in which I was most passionate. That skill for me is creating an environment for individuals and businesses to see that there is an opportunity to have more F.U.N. in life.

So I committed. I committed myself to being a motivational speaker. All of my passion and energy was redirected to creating a successful marketing strategy in the field. I surrounded myself with individuals that supported me, had a similar perspective on life, were willing to coach me through my faults, offered skills that I didn't have myself and a funny thing happened, I hacked the flow.

Steven Kotler went on to say in the article referenced above that, "if you’ve ever lost an afternoon to a great conversation or gotten so involved in a work project that all else was forgotten, then you’ve tasted this experience. In flow, we are so focused on the task at hand that everything else falls away. Action and awareness merge. Time flies. Self vanishes. All aspects of performance go through the roof."

Since devoting myself to my passion, surrounding myself with the right people and mitigating distractions, I've created more business for myself in the last month than I had in the previous 6. My website reflects the spirit of what I want to accomplish, agencies are booking me gigs, friends are referring me and it seems everyday some awesome new thing happens in my life.

Years ago, I did consulting work in call centers for a large telecommunications company. Employees would come to me regularly and express unhappiness in their role. When I'd advise to change their situation, most would respond, "oh I can't as they got me in the golden handcuffs." Our decisions come at a cost. The most miserable period in my life was when I had the most money I've ever had in a position that stressed me out.

I challenge all of you reading this to surround yourself with people that make you the best version of yourself. I challenge you to gravitate towards the things that give you strength and in which your most passionate. I challenge you to mitigate distractions and stop doing things just to get by. I challenge start doing things that will actually move you forward and maximize happiness. In doing so, you might find yourself in a position where you've truly "hacked the flow."