You're playing a game of basketball; you have the ball, you dribble, two people come and try to prevent you from scoring. Without even thinking about it, you do a crossover, ball between the legs, do a spin, you pass the first defender, the second falls to the ground and you end up getting in the basket with 2 points. You never thought about what you were going to do, you just acted and it worked - what happened?
You're in a game of Warzone, 1v3 to clutch the end of the game. You pretty much know where the last three players are; you're constantly moving, the first enemy drops dead, the second drops dead, you put some armor back on and finish the third player and there's the win. You don't even know what just happened, you just acted and made moves that the common player can't explain. As a result, you won the 1v3 without much difficulty - what happened?
Even if you haven't been in these exact situations, you've certainly already felt this effect which makes you feel nostalgic and confident no matter what the situation. You tell yourself that you've warmed up, you're prepared, you're "in the zone". This phenomenon is actually called "flow state", and it's a supreme state of mind to achieve in order to perform to the maximum of your abilities.
A flow is defined as "moving along or out steadily and continuously in a current or stream.
When you find yourself in the "flow state", you're happy, you're in the zone, you're engaged in whatever you're doing at that moment, nothing else is important. The flow state is essentially a mental state in which a person is performing an activity with supreme awareness and hyper focus. When you're in the flow state, you learn, you create and you perform.
Here are the 8 possible states of mind depending on several factors:
This model is based on the fluctuations of experiences. To enter the flow state, it is imperative that the mind is stimulated by the challenge and that the challenge in question requires a significant level of skill. Most importantly, it is extremely important that, as an individual, you believe in yourself and in your abilities to be able to succeed in the challenge. Resilience and confidence are two important aspects in achieving the flow state.
Training therefore appears necessary for your preparation for any activity. The more prepared you are to face the challenge in question, the more important and natural your self-confidence will be. It's important to have a routine to follow to improve your self-confidence. Routines also allow you to be consistent in what you do.
When you're in the flow state, time seems to slow down, and you start to lose track of time; you're completely in the present moment and 100% focused on the task at hand. To reach this state of mind, you must first establish what you need to accomplish; this way your mind knows how to focus your energy.
You won't necessarily know or feel that you're in the flow state because your attention is entirely on the task at hand. At the same time, your mind and body are 100% synchronized to improve your performance. You shouldn't be making a conscious effort to achieve the flow state- it occurs by itself. It's important to trust what's happening in the moment naturally, without extra effort. You'll never be able to achieve flow state if you are constantly thinking about all the possible scenarios in each situation.
In the flow state, there's no room for negative thoughts. High self-confidence helps develop a positive attitude and usually takes the person to an exceptional level. People who are naturally curious, persistent, aren't selfish, and who have a desire to constantly learn to improve their skills will tend to achieve flow state much more often than others. You have to be motivated by yourself to achieve the flow state- if only external motivations bring you good, you will have great difficulty in achieving the flow state on your own.
In short, be positive, be confident, start a routine, trust yourself and you will reach Ultra Instinct....uh I mean flow state.
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