Jan 15, 2021
Do you think that intense,
beneficial states of flow are only for extreme athletes? Not true,
says Steven Kotler. In fact, we all have the tools for this process
that leads to human performance optimization. He discusses his new
book about human performance impact factors, offering key steps in
this conversation.
Listen and learn
Noted author and speaker Steven
Kotler has written thirteen books, nine of which are best sellers.
Two of his books have been nominated for the Pulitzer prize. He’s
the executive director of the Flow Research Collective and, along
with his wife, is cofounder of a hospice and special-needs center
for dogs. He’s written a new book called The Art of Impossible, and shares its inspiration and seminal ideas
with listeners.
He’s quite a storyteller and the journey that led to his human
performance improvement research is quite a story. It all started
with a friend forcing him to surf after suffering months from Lyme
disease. Despite extreme hardship and debilitation, he went with
her that day and it changed his life: he experienced the phenomena
of a “flow state.” He tells listeners, how, why, and what happened
next.
He also emphasizes that flow
states are achievable and have concreate access points. It’s all
about getting our biology to work for us, he says. In fact, flow
states have 22 triggers, and he describes some of these
human performance improvement steps. But the major idea to
understand, he emphasizes, is that “flow follows focus.” The
ability to carve out that atmosphere and time to focus is central
to human performance and limitation. He discusses methods to
schedule your day to achieve this focus and describes mindsets that
might hinder flow states, such as an expert mindset that might
disallow open thinking.
Finally, he adds that he’s trained people and groups on these
techniques. His new book focuses on “turbo-boosting the
equation.”
For more about these trainings,
see flowresearchcollective.com.
Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK