IT’S NORMAL for traditional Olympic sports athletes such as runners and swimmers to break world records that were held for years and decades. But world class action and adventure sports athletes such as rock climbers and kayakers would regularly break world records in just a few weeks or months. And added to that is the risk. So risky that oftentimes adventure sport is a matter of life and death in every attempt. Adventure athletes would brush those risks off, do their craft and accomplish what was thought to be impossible.
Going down a
water fall while kayaking for example was thought to be a suicide, but in the
late 1990’s a kayaker went down an 80 feet water fall and survived. Since
then, kayakers would regularly plunge themselves in water falls that are 198
feet long. Rock climber Alex Honnold was able to climb the 2,000-foot
rock wall of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park in California in a matter of
hours when previously it took a team of people days to accomplish it. And
Alex did it with no ropes.
How were
these people able to do it? Steven Kotler made a study of these
extraordinary athletes and explained it in his book, “The Rise of Superman:
Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance”. Mr. Kotler used the
findings of his study to apply it to corporate job performance. The
secret to extraordinary performance of adventure athletes is the so-called
“flow” that makes them accomplish daring feats. The author says, flow is
the feeling of being totally immersed in what you are doing. “In flow, every
action, each decision, leads effortlessly, fluidly, seamlessly to the next.
It’s high-speed problem solving; it’s being swept away by the river of ultimate
performance.” Office workers for example when experiencing optimal flow
can be 500% more productive than usual. This is great news. You and
I don’t have to climb mountains and jump over water falls to accomplish great
feats, we just have to tap into that flow, and be super productive with our
jobs.
Here’s the
author’s four tips to experience flow at work: Clear
Goal with High Consequences
First, you
need to know exactly what you are trying to do (know the pass-fail
requirements) and why you are doing it (clear goal). Your goals should always
be just beyond your current skill level, forcing you to operate in the space
between boredom and anxiety. If your task is below your skill, you would
be bored for lack of challenge. But if it’s way above your skills, you
can get anxious and frustrated. The job that you should choose should be
optimal which is not too easy and not too hard so that when done it gives you a
sense of accomplishment. If you are a student, don’t be afraid to tackle
tough subjects. And if you’re an office worker, volunteer to take on
demanding projects.
Rich Sensory
Experience: Adventure athletes would use their surroundings to trigger
their flow. They would use their senses to feel the atmosphere (the sight
and sounds that surround the waterfall) that triggers their mind for the daring
act they are about to attempt. It gives them focus, loss of
self-consciousness (loss of fear) and makes them feel as if time has
stopped. In applying this to our jobs, we can prepare a coffee and use
the smell of it to trigger our flow before making a report for example.
Or listen to our favorite music while working as a flow trigger and enhancer.
Immediate
Feedback: Adventure athletes are able to accomplish their bold feats
because they correct in real time what they think would be a mistake.
World class rock climbers know ahead of time what it takes to leap over a
particular portion of the mountain wall. In applying this to our
corporate tasks, we have to make our work as visible as possible so that
mistakes are easily exposed and can be corrected right away. If you have
a good idea, write it down on paper or draw it so that it becomes more visible
and perceptible. (ECC)
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