Questions on Flow

Have you ever experienced a sense of flow?  The runner’s high? Being in the zone?  A peak experience?  Describe the experience and how it felt to you. How often has “flow” happened in your life?

What activity offers you immersion and joy, where you forget yourself in the moment?  Describe what it is and how it makes you feel.  For some, it is expert knowledge in a subject area, for someone else it might be creating, whether that is cooking, painting, or gardening.  For others it is the intensity of skiing, where you stay focused on the immediate.

Coming into a sense of flow when working on a project involves both comfort and challenge; being comfortable with the skill and knowledge needed, but also being challenged to work in a new way.  If you are seeking deeper immersion on a project, which do you need – more comfort or more challenge?

Is there an area of your life where you are feeling ready to flow, or is what you really need to do is ebb?  At times we need to step back from an intense focus that isn’t getting results and give ourselves some space to breathe and change the pace.

Moving into flow can come from taking risks, hours of devoted practice, or from altruism – helping others.  Which avenue into flow works best for you? Reflect on a time when risk, practice, or altruism helped you to “leave yourself behind.”