Finding the Flow

Racing cars has long been a passion of mine. I love high-performance cars like I love high performance people – riding the edge, where life is focused, energized and precise.

Over the years, I’ve realized that days at the race track can be perfect opportunities to discover fundamental rules of high personal performance, in any realm.

A few months back, I had a really rough day on the track. I was fighting the car and making a lot of mistakes. Instead of feeling inspired and skilled, I went home tired and frustrated.

What was going on? Had I lost my passion? Was it time to get my thrills another way? I gave it serious consideration, feeling a lot like my clients who had lost the passion for their business.

Not two months later, I was back at the track… and I had the ride of my life! I was absolutely flying, clocking times that impressed even the professionals. I was locked in the flow, truly floating around the track. My focus was intense and my connection with the car was seamless; I was so present and clear that it felt like the car was driving me! I took corners faster than I ever dared to before, passing technically faster cars without a thought, coming out of turns with shocking speed. And I drove that way for 3.5 hours.

I’d had experiences like this on the track before – flashes of brilliance – but this time, I wanted to know what caused that intense experience of being in the flow. What sets people up for such powerful, focused, fearless performance? And how can we increase our chances of being in the flow on any given day?

With reflection, I identified four key factors for being in the flow:

1. Being in a role that calls on our natural strengths is critical. People who do well on the racetrack are naturally competitive; we like to continually learn and be challenged; we enjoy seeing how far we can push the limits. The bigger the challenge, the better we perform. In the right role – racecar driver – we excel.

2. A stimulating environment has a tremendous impact. Being surrounded by like-minded people, spectacular instructors, and seasoned professional racers set me up to perform.

3. Nothing can compete with preparation. The day before I drove, I had a great massage, clearing my mind and body. The night before, I joined my fellow racers for dinner, we got in sync, and then I got plenty of sleep. The next day, I left myself plenty of time, ate light, nutritious meals and stayed hydrated. I had my car checked in advance and I knew I was ready to go.

4. Momentum is a critical ingredient to being in the flow. I had to do a certain number of track days within a short period of time to develop the skills and self confidence to generate internal momentum. Like a jet taking off, using 60% of its fuel just to get off the ground, high performance can be the same way.

On this particular day, I had set myself up to win by preparing my mental and physical state, choosing a powerful and inspiring environment, and fine tuning my skills. To achieve excellence and find the flow in any endeavor – especially business – the necessary components are the same.

A professional in the flow operates with instantaneous understanding, an intuitive mode that requires less thinking and less effort. Instead of thinking through each step, you let go and trust the feel of it. The result is an energized, focused, incredibly efficient performance.

For most people, it’s virtually impossible to stay in the flow all the time. In fact, many entrepreneurs I meet are not in the flow. They’re in distress, thinking: “I’m not enjoying this, things aren’t going well here, maybe I should be doing something else.”

More often than not, people lose their edge because one of the four factors outlined above has changed. For instance, the business grows and the head of the company suddenly finds his or her role has changed; the environment changed; the company’s momentum changed… but they still expect to be in high-performance mode, master of all they touch. It doesn’t work that way.

To stay in the flow for more than a few fleeting moments at a time, cultivate a sharp edge by doing the small, fundamental things that set you up for success: stay hydrated all day and eat well; exercise; clear your mind; develop a stimulating environment; pace yourself; deal with anything that overshadows your progress (such as things that are incomplete or unresolved). When there’s nothing weighing on you and you nurture your energy levels, it’s much easier to stay clear, energized and in the moment.

Last but certainly not least, know what makes you tick – what motivates, inspires, and energizes you. This is different for everyone. Instead of tolerating what you have, take time to ask how you could improve your role, environment, skill and momentum. What changes would stimulate and energize you?


Coach Kevin’s Challenge: Finding the Flow

1. What is your personal recipe for success? If you don’t know for sure, take time to explore this. Write it down and train yourself to honor it, consistently.
2. What factors derail your strongest personal performance?
3. Set your life up in a way that makes it easy to stay in the flow. In other words, prepare yourself for high performance. If you make sure your role, environment and schedule stimulate you instead of drain you, you’re on the right track.


Finding the Flow - To learn more about this author, visit Kevin Lawrence's Website.

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