flow – Coach Hansen

The “Zone,” also known as the flow state, has been described by performers as effortless, where everything clicks perfectly, and they achieve a heightened sense of performance (Jackson et al., 2001). While this state undoubtedly leads to enhanced confidence and focus even under competitive pressure, it is essential to understand that the “Zone” can be elusive and cannot be directly summoned at will.

When the zone calls, you must listen. You never know how long being in the zone lasts.
John Passaro

Since the flow state may happen spontaneously or fleetingly, but it cannot be consistently manufactured, does that also mean that we have to leave our confidence and focus to chance?

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Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who popularized the term Flow and demonstrated how anyone could achieve focused contentment, died recently. In light of his passing, I felt compelled to write this post as his work has profoundly influenced both my life and coaching philosophy.

The Psychology of Flow

Flow is a state of mind in which a person becomes fully immersed in an activity. In this mental state, people are experiencing joy as they become fully involved and focused on what they are doing.

“The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost,”
Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi

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