(Published Online: 1st March 2007)

This Is NOT An Expert Paper On Getting Into "Flow"

This is not a technical article on the psychology of sports and how the brain functions when a person is engaged in competition. I am not a zone coach or psychologist, neither do I pretend to have conducted any experiments or studies on people who have exhibited the traits of persons who could be said to have been in "flow" at any point in time.

What I aim to do in this article is to share my considerable experience in delivering exceptional performances in virtually every area of endeavour I have chosen to apply diligent and committed effort. Most of my achievements have been made possible by my self-taught ability to almost willfully get myself into "Flow"(an unconscious state of mind that facilitates seemingly effortless achievement of optimal learning and/or performance) whenever I felt the need to do so, in order to achieve a set goal(s).

Because I have experienced what it feels like to get into "Flow" or "The Zone" on many occasions(and I provide graphic details of some of those instances in this article), I am able to share THAT experience with the reader, and explain how s/he can achieve the same result, frequently and repeatedly, if s/he so desires.

As I have stated earlier, I make no claims to being an authority on getting into "Flow" or "The Zone". However going by my personal experiences(which I need NO PhD degree qualifications to write or speak about), I strongly believe different individuals will find need to develop different levels of proficiency in their ability to get into AND STAY - for as long as may be necessary/desired - in "The Zone". Improvement in mastery of this skill will depend on how well each person applies him/herself.

Presently - for instance - I am at a particular level of proficiency, as a multi-skilled entrepreneur(i.e. multipreneur) which meets my CURRENT needs. There will be I'm sure, others who operate at much higher levels because they NEED to(e.g. world class sports persons who have to competently take on other world class competitors).

The challenge is therefore for you to use the ideas offered in this write up to build up YOUR OWN ability to get into - and stay in - "The Zone" in a way that enables you meet YOUR needs to achieve.

What Exactly Does It Mean To Get Into "Flow" Or "The Zone"?(My Handball Semi-Final Match Case Study)

Before I make references to what others have said, I will describe this experience in my own words by narrating what happened to me during the 1992 finals of the University Of Ibadan's Inter-Halls Handball Competition. That year, I was captain of both the university team and the Independence Hall team. The latter had qualified - for the first time in their history - for the semi-finals of the inter-halls competition, and we were up against Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall, our arch rivals.

The match commenced around 1.00pm when the sun was overhead and the heat was scorching. It was a very intense and closely fought battle. As one side scored a goal the other side replied almost immediately on the next attack. At half time my team led, by a single point. Although I had scored a number of goals en route to the finals, that first half had not witnessed a single goal by me.

However, because we had anticipated that some of our key players would be marked out by the opposition, our team had worked out an alternative plan that made it possible to create scoring chances for other players. This worked well, and we stayed ahead - but only just! I got totally pre-occupied with creating more chances to a point where I seemed to become unaware of everything else around me.

At a point, all I could think of was the single point lead on the score board and the voice in my head screaming that we needed to score another goal to avoid a tie. Each time I turned to receive or make a pass, I found I did not really see faces clearly. I saw the jersey colors and numbers, but the detailed features of each person seemed to be something of a blur...faded. Yet I could still tell my team mates from the opposition at any point in time.

Suddenly, for no obvious reason, the guy marking me out let me get COMPLETELY past him(for the first time since the match began) as a pass came to me from the left. In that split second, as I caught the ball, I saw a little space between the left foot of the goal keeper and the bottom left of the goal post. On reflex, I threw a hip shot with my right hand, and watched almost as if on TV, the ball fly into into the keeper's far left corner of the goal post. All this while I had stopped hearing most of the noise from the spectators who had completely surrounded the handball court and were cheering wildly.

Then I felt someone grab me, screaming delightedly, while another team mate patted me on the back. I looked to the sidelines and saw the University team coach - Mr. Nwosu - raise his hands in the air shouting 'Iyo"(a slang in my language Yoruba, meaning "Super!" even though - ironically - he was Ibo). That was when it clicked - at least enough for me to manage to raise my right hand in the air and jog back to the nine metre line of my team's half. I realised I had scored a good goal, but I could not explain how - it had been done on instinct, and I could not even recall "thinking about doing" or "planning" it.

Not long after, the referee blew the final whistle, and we won. That year, someone using the pen name "Dancing Pen" wrote an article on me (which I still have a copy of in my files) which was pasted on the notice board in the hall titled "Tayo Solagbade - Steroid Man"*, in which the writer described the goal I scored as (to use his exact words): "the Fastest, Most Spectacular and Shocking Goal". He also quoted the University coach as having said "Indy (i.e. Independence Hall), played the match of their lives, and Tayo was at his best".

*("Steroid Man" was a nickname given to me by colleagues in the University team, because I never seemed to get tired in a match, even when we were losing badly).

How Does This Relate To Getting Into Flow/The Zone?

Well the truth is every time I got on to the handball court, I made a point of forgetting EVERYTHING else. For those who took note, minutes to the start of the match, I would become a bit pensive, and withdrawn. During this period, I tended to re-run in my mind specific moves I had practiced during the training sessions leading up to the match, which I hoped to use. Even as I exchanged greetings with other players, I would keep my mind firmly fixed on this mental pre-match "ritual".

There were also times when I would have to play with a wrist injury or bad canvas etc. Minutes before a match began I would be preoccupied with those little "problems" or annoyances. But as soon as the referee blew the whistle for the game to begin, I simply became another person. I literally speaking would "throw away" every care in the world and focus 100% on the game. In no time, I would be playing like a man possessed - chasing every ball, blocking shots, pursuing rebounds etc.

Incidentally, this same attitude was what I carried into training sessions so that if the coach asked me to lead the training session on a particular day, some of my teammates would groan outwardly, complaining that I would make them do too much work etc.

Why I Use Personal Examples: By the way, just in case you're getting a bit tired of my use of personal examples, I will assure you it is not at attempt to show off or make ego-boosting claims. I share details of these authentic achievements with the reader for ONE major reason: to inform him/her about how I successfully used my ability to get into flow to deliver peak performances, so that s/he can use them as a guide towards achieving similar if not better results for him/herself.

I now provide a few additional illustrations, this time drawing from my time as an undergraduate in the university.

While pursuing my five year degree programme in Agricultural Extension Services at the University of Ibadan, I tackled my academic "chores" in the university with the same passion that I played handball/sports. Typically, every morning from about 4.00 am I would wake up (without the aid of an alarm clock) and study till 5.30 - 6.00am when I would quickly change into my training kit and join others in the sports center for training or jogging round the tracks. By 7.30 am we would return to bathe and dress for lectures.

If I had no lectures, I would stay in and study till I did. I NEVER compromised my lecture free periods - and all my room/team mates knew it, and respected my needs. By 4.00pm it would be back to the sports center for training, and we sometimes would continue till 8.30pm at night playing under the floodlights. Back in the room, I would sleep from say 10.30pm after having a meal, till about 3.30-4.00 am when I would wake again to start another day's routine. At every stage, I had a habit of staying completely focussed on what I was doing - tolerating little distractions. I had no patience for playing pranks, loafing around going to late night parties etc. I set my goals and worked hard to achieve them.

Evidence that my achievements were recognised would come at the end of my final year in the University when I received merit awards from the university Sports Council and the Independence hall - in addition to graduating top of my class in my department. Not many active sports persons in the institution got to have the best of both worlds the way I did - and THAT was what caught the attention of the institution's sports administrators. Looking back I realise that my "intense focus" enabled me get into "flow"(though I did not know the word/concept then) quite frequently while pursuing both my academic and sporting interests on campus, so that I achieve the "balanced" success I eventually recorded.

Incidentally, before the university incident, I had experienced "flow" in a match situation much earlier. In 1985, at the age of 15, I earned a call up to the Kwara State camp for the 1985 National Sports Festival, after playing in the finals of a state-wide Inter-schools handball competition. Till this day I cannot recall details of what I did in that match to have made the coaches come to my school a week later to request my release. What I do remember is one of the coaches saying how impressed he was with my jump shooting/stamina, and how if the other team's (state) goal keeper has not been exceptionally good, most of my shots would have gone in.

Other Situations In Which A Person Can Get Into "Flow"

A. Delivering A Talk, Speech Or Presentation

Today, when I have to deliver a talk, I go through the same pre-event ritual of running through my intended speech in my mind - again and again. The experience gained from playing in front of a large crowd of spectators and dealing with the psychological pressure, has always helped me overcome any appearances of stage fright prior to delivering a talk/speech or during a meeting with an important person(s).

In fact, I would say if you can develop your own mental pre-event ritual, you will be able to get yourself into peak-performance mode within seconds of the need to do so arising. On many occasions, I have successfully come away with appointment dates following a first-time meeting with MD/CEOs, or other decision makers who initially did not want to see me. Read my article titled "To Win New Customers Repeatedly & Inexpensively, Use YOUR Public Speaking For Business Marketing System!".

B. Writing Software Programs or Articles

I cannot count the number of times I have been working on the PC and my wife literally had to turn the thing off to get my attention. Many times before s/he learnt to do that, s/he would speak to me "normally", telling me for instance to make sure I gave the kids the food she'd had put in the warmer etc, and would go out thinking my nodding head actually meant I had heard her :-).

Indeed I often did hear her, but no no sooner had I stopped nodding than I would completely forget everything she had said. Worse, I would continue working until the kids came to say "Daddy we're hungry" or the power supply failed (a frequent occurrence out here). Only then would I stop long enough to ask myself the question: "What was it again she told me to do?". I'm not proud to admit the foregoing, but it was a reality I had to deal with. Thankfully, (as I recommend that the reader also do), I have worked hard to strike a bit of a balance, that today enables me do a better job of supporting my wife in caring for the kids, even as I continue to work from home.

C. As A Career Person In Paid Employment

I spent about seven(7) years working as a manager in the fast paced workplace of a large corporate multinational manufacturer. During this time I rapidly built a reputation for being able to deliver well above my job requirements. Evidence of the confidence the company's senior management/decision makers had in my ability was often reflected in the frequency/quality of career advancement secondment opportunities they provided me.

Question: What exactly did I do to earn this level of confidence reposed in me by my superiors?

Answer: I strived every day I was at work to be a PEAK PERFORMER by leveraging my ability to get into and stay in "The Zone". As a young shift brewer back 1997/98, a typical day could see me combine supervising a team of brewing plant operatives with building automated Lotus macros driven spreadsheets to replace manual report-generation processes in the department on night shift from 9.00pm till 7.00am. After getting some sleep at home, I would return to the brewery from say 12noon and spend my free time continuing work on the automated report-generation spreadsheets. By say 6.00pm in the evening, I would then go back home to get some more sleep before returning by 9.00pm for the second of three consecutive days of night shift duty.

Over four of my applications were adopted for formal reporting in my department - and at a point, the brewery's Utilities Manager - Shola - from the Engineering Services department was impressed enough with what he saw I had achieved in my department, to one day request that I help automate the plotting of his departments many performance trending charts for power consumption, steam generation, water usage etc. Later on, as Technical Training and Development Manager, I was able to combine doing my normal 8 to 5 job with sleeping over night(no exaggeration) for two consecutive weeks in my office to build a custom Training Records Database in time for the impending ISO 9000 certification audits, using MS Excel Visual Basic(and a developer's guide written by Reed Jacobson for Microsoft).

I did this NOT because it was easy, but because the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) auditors had warned that if my brewery failed to have in place an "easily retrievable and updateable" database for employees training records, we would fail the audits. Unfortunately the IT department at the time was stretched to its limits and could not help us out in time to meet this requirement. I therefore had no choice but to fall back on my spreadsheet programming skills from my days as a brewer. But in order to do that without letting my job as Training Manager suffer during the day (since it was not the same thing as being on shift and using my off-hours to write programs!), I had to work at a much higher level of intensity.

How did I manage to do ALL the above and still achieve the desired output? Without my understanding of how to get myself into flow(coupled with my physical fitness), I doubt that I could ever have succeeded. I KNEW myself, and how to get myself to achieve my set goals. I understood how to get myself into the "intensely focussed state of mind"(aka "Flow" or "The Zone") that would facilitate getting the job done. To be able to habitually deliver peak performances in ANYTHING you do, you must learn how to get into and STAY in "The Zone" regardless of the presence of what others could term "distractions" around you. Read my article titled "Achieve Recognition and Attract Career Advancement Opportunities By Being A Change Agent" to learn more about how I used my ability to get into flow to add value to every department I worked in as an employee.

Peak Performing As An Entrepreneur

Today, I build spreadsheet software and websites(among others) for a living - activities which require PC/Internet access AND electricity. A lot of people do the same things daily, so that's nothing special. What is noteworthy however is the fact that I have to DAILY explore ways to COST EFFECTIVELY progress work given me by paying clients if I want to make profits IN SPITE OF extremely erratic power supply from my country's power generation company. Many times, I have to type for say 30 minutes, then stop because the lights have gone out. Then maybe four hours later continue typing when the power is restored.

So you find many people out here have to own generators and buy fuel into kegs for use in their generators EVERY single day. The problem would not be so bad if the fuel was always available - but it often tends not to be! The epileptic power supply problem has always been a feature of our lives here in Nigeria. But in 2007, it has really gone much worse. In the past two weeks, I estimate that I have not had light for more than four hours in ONE single day - and even that was NOT for a continuous stretch. It is always a case of ON, then OFF, then ON again.

Suffice to say however, that in spite of these problems, I have improved my business performance to the extent that my client profiles have risen, and the fees I earn have quadrupled since the start of the new year! How have I achieved this despite the debilitating challenges posed by the unpredictability of my social environment? The answer is that I know how to habitually deliver peak performances by getting into and STAYING in "flow" or the "Zone". So you see, I have successfully transferred my peak performance ability from my past life in school, sports, and paid employment into my present life as an entrepreneur. It did not happen overnight(took quite some practice/persistence because I had to LEARN all over again till I began to master my NEW vocation), but then nothing that has sustainable value ever does.

Getting Into "Flow/The Zone" Is NOT About Being(Or Becoming) Absent Minded!

In the process of pushing myself to achieve peak performance, I sometimes found myself being accused - especially by those I lived with(my wife being number one) of being absent minded - or even uncaring. Over time they however came to discover that it was not deliberate.

Being in "flow" is about getting into a state of mind that enhances your ability to perform at your best...your peak. Not everyone knows - or cares to call it - "flow" or "The Zone". But many who have seen someone under its influence (or experienced it) often mention the same "signs" when describing it. I once read that William H. Carrier(inventor of the Air Conditioner) was said to have been "absent minded" to the point that he once boarded a train and completely forgot his destination, while thinking about a solution to a problem! THAT is the "intensity" of focus or concentration on a SPECIFIC activity that can get ANYONE into "flow". No wonder James Cook referred to Carrier as belonging to the elite group of "Super Entrepreneurs".

Thomas Edison was also reputed to have been rather "forgetful". What I think many "critics" of these people failed to note however is the fact that these men - and others like them - were seldom, if at all EVER forgetful about their favoured vocations or interests! I am not aware for instance that Edison at any point in his life was unable to answer questions posed to him regarding his work because he "forgot". Instead it was the daily routine stuff that had little to do with the work he had a passion for, that he "chose to forget".

Many achievement-oriented people who feel the need to be at their productive best even do something that I like to call "Deliberate Forgetting". In fact I recall reading about a teenage girl who became an excellent violinist saying that she achieved her proficiency through what she called 'Planned Neglect". She explained this term by saying that each day she would put off cleaning her room (or other chores) UNTIL she had put in what she considered ENOUGH practice into playing the violin.

Before adopting this approach she had been unable to find enough time/energy to practice, and as a result was not making the progress she wanted. This happened because she often started each day doing her various chores, using up a lot of energy/time. By the time she eventually began practice there would not be much time left - and she would tire easily from all the previous exertion. So she decided some things had to enjoy less of her attention in order for her to FOCUS on those things or THAT ONE thing she most desired to do - and do WELL.

Practice concentrating THAT hard on your favoured vocation or activity every time you do it, and soon enough you will develop (what would seem to the uninitiated) an uncanny ability to immerse yourself completely in it to the exclusion of those around, to deliver shockingly impressive performances or output.

Getting Into "Flow" During Intellectual Activity Results In "Mental Ecstasy"

When you get into flow while doing something intellectual(e.g. writing), from my experience what you feel is what I believe can be called "Mental Ecstasy". You would feel "great pleasure" every time you are able to achieve that state of mind - even though the activity you are engaged in might require great effort or skill that would task other persons to the limits of their abilities! And that's why it can get a bit addictive, leading to a person acting seemingly "uncaring" or "distant".

To a considerable extent, getting into and STAYING in "Flow" requires that your mental attitude be almost the exact opposite of that required to be a caring, thoughtful and responsive partner to a mate or parent to a child etc. In my opinion however if a person can take the pains to learn how to control the process of deliberately going in and out of flow, s/he would live a more successful life.

You need to be able to strike a balance - delicate it might be, between being in flow and being human. Else what could happen is you end your sojourn on earth as having been one of the most exceptional performers in your chosen vocation in the history of mankind, but with the reputation of having been incapable of keeping a relationship or family together.

Daniel Goleman in his book on "Emotional Intelligence" explained that improving your ability to enter into flow is to become more emotionally intelligent. According to him getting into flow is the ultimate means of making use of one's emotions in the pursuit of performance and learning. To put it simply, a person who KNOWS how to get him or herself into "Flow" or "The Zone" deliberately and repeatedly as the need arises demonstrates a high level of Emotional Intelligence. This is because being able to do so requires a level of self-mastery that is seldom achievable without the ability to harness one's emotions effectively.

As is common knowledge today, your Emotional Intelligence and NOT your academic intelligence is MORE likely to determine your success in school and especially your adult life. Therefore to increase your chances of succeeding in life, you will want to learn how to get into "flow" more frequently, so as to boost your Emotional Intelligence.

Steps You Can Follow To Get Yourself Into Flow/The Zone Deliberately & More Frequently

1. Carefully think about and set SPECIFIC goals you want to achieve(in SPECIFIC areas of your vocation or interest) by getting into "Flow".

2. Identify the TASKS you will need to execute or implement in order to achieve those goals.

3. Develop your proficiency in the task(s) you wish to achieve peak performance in to the point that you can do it(or them) with practiced ease. Some people would say "with your eyes closed". I have watched labelling machine operators on a manned 45,000 bottles per hour bottling line feed labels into it almost without error continuously for over six(6) consecutive hours on a night shift. It takes plenty of PRACTICE to get to that level of competence.

And it is only after you have attained such a level of proficiency that you can reasonably expect to be able to deliberately/competently get in and out of "Flow", while engaged in your preferred activity. You need to get to a level of familiarity with the minutest aspect of the task or activity such that you will be confident about doing it even when woken up from sleep.

4. Actively work to find and/or create the kind of environment(physical and psychological) that you KNOW will enhance your ability to get into and STAY in The Zone. For instance, you will need to master the art of focussing intensely or concentrating HARD on your subject of interest such that you "force" yourself into "The Zone". As I mentioned in this article, I use this approach especially when I need to give a speech.

5*. Avoid the things/habits that keep you from getting into The Zone(e.g. undisciplined expenditure of sexual energy; worrying etc) and do more of those which boost your ability to "Zone Out"(e.g. staying fit through regular physical exercise, meditation etc).*

6. Engage as much as possible ONLY in tasks or vocations that you naturally ENJOY doing - else getting into flow and/or staying there will be VERY difficult. Your performance as a result will be erratic.

*Important Notes:

a). The need to conserve sexual energy is paramount if you want to perform optimally in your chosen vocation when it matters most. It is for this reason that most successful athletes, coaches, and professionals in many serious vocations recommend "controlled abstinence" from sex in order to ensure optimal performance at all times. My experiences as an ex-bachelor convince me that there is GREAT wisdom in following this rule even if you are a "writer"! (What Napoleon Hill says in "Think and Grow Rich" about the benefits of "Sex Transmutation" is true, but knowing how to strike the needed balance to achieve it is not a competence every person can easily acquire!).

b). The need to be physically fit in my opinion cannot be over stressed when discussing achievement of peak performance - no matter what areas of endeavour is being considered. If Michael Jordan had NOT been physically fit in the many NBA games that he delivered(with his tongue hanging out) superlative, awe-inspiring athletic feats to the admiration of spectators, he would NEVER have been able to sustain the intensity of his game until each match ended.

Since he tended to help his team win most of the crucial matches by staying focussed into the last seconds prior to the buzzer sounding, to score a winning basket, a lack of fitness would have severely limited his ability to deliver the goods. This is because getting into flow is one thing, but STAYING in the Zone typically requires the person to lose him/herself in the activity s/he is engaged in by devoting every iota of attention to it.

In a physically demanding sport, your lack of physical fitness will prevent you from being able STAY in that kind of mental state long enough to perform at your peak. But then even for persons engaged in intellectual vocations, physical exercise definitely can boost your ability to perform optimally. In essence you would do well to devote time to becoming and staying physically fit. Read my article titled "You Need To Be Physically Fit In Order To Excel".

Knowing How To Get Into The Zone Will Help You Deliver Desired Results Under Pressure

As you may be aware, some people thrive under, and respond positively TO pressure - often delivering their BEST performances when exposed to it. I happen to be one of such people. It is my considered opinion, based on my personal experiences and successes in school, sports, paid and now self-employment, that if you truly want to be a peak performer, you MUST master how to deliver optimal performances in your preferred vocation or activity EVEN when(especially when!) you are under pressure.

Fail to do this and your transformation will be INCOMPLETE. You would be like a potential Michael Jordan who fails to achieve his/her full potential on the court during game time. What's that you ask? I mean everyone loved Jordan because he was a player who delivered when it mattered most(a "big match" player) - in the important games and at the MOST important time...scoring a match winning basket just a few seconds before the buzzer sounded. It takes an ability to DEAL with psychological pressure to do that. You CAN develop the ability to do it. If you learn how to get into "flow", as suggested here, you WILL end up with the ability to do it unconsciously - AGAIN and AGAIN!(The key word there being "UNCONSCIOUSLY")

For instance, my bosses at work(back when I was in paid employment) on a number of occasions would typically require a major report that normally took hours ready for use in a top management meeting in a short period - such as less than ONE hour. That I often did NOT fail to deliver what they wanted I believe explains why the head of my brewery wrote a powerful testimonial about my ability in a farewell card presented to me at a send forth ceremony when I quit my job to go into self-employment(see excerpts below).

Final Words: A Person In Flow/The Zone Will Make Doing What S/he Does Look Easier Than It Really Is

And THAT is something YOU can use as a measure of how well you have learnt to get into and STAY in the zone while doing what you do. If/when people start expressing surprise or even amazement about how well you do what you do, with some asking you "what is your secret?", even as you wonder to yourself what the fuss is all about, you would have begun to achieve your goal of being a habitual peak performer by getting into flow.

Another way you will be able to measure how well you have learnt the art of delivering peak performances by getting into the Zone more often, will be the type of unsolicited testimonials people will give about your abilities. When people start sticking their necks out to say and write that you have the ability to achieve things even you would initially hesitate to say you can, that would be a pointer to the fact that your efforts are yielding fruit! Below, I offer two examples of unsolicited written testimonials about me from former colleagues:

Here's an excerpt of the comments a senior manager - Andy R. Jones (who I had reported indirectly to for less than 12 months) - wrote about me in a farewell card presented to me during my last month in the company after I quit to start my own business:

"Tayo, I honestly believe you are one of those who will succeed at anything he does... I don't need to wish you good luck. You have the ability to make your own luck..".

Read my article titled "Should You Quit Your Job Or Start Your Business Part-Time?" to read the full text of that handwritten message to me in December 2001 by the overall head(Operations Manager) of the brewery I worked in.

You will recall I earlier mentioned helping out my Utilities Manager colleague by automating his Engineering Services usage monitoring charts preparation. Well, here's what he wrote (in part) to me via email from the new company - a multinational Oil Service company - he had resumed working for some months after my departure:

To:olufelatks@xxxxxx.com
Subject:WANT US TO MEET
Date:Wed, 26 Jun 2002 09:59:16 +0100

Hi Tayo,...my main reasons for my search for you are... to involve you in my new task of computerizing my departmental reports....I believe you have the competence to transform our reports having seen your Midas touches in Guinness. The report will be in Excel spreadsheet, segmented into sheets but to be viewed and accessed by macro buttons. The report should be able to auto print and shows graphs. Presently, we have two mains Computerized Maintenance Systems from which some data need to be downloaded. The report must be able to give quick predetermined checks for immediate management decisions. In pursuit of this goal, I want us to discuss and agree on the execution modalities and other things. I am proposing to be in Lagos this weekend and wish to see you...Shola"

What made him so sure that I could help him? The answer is obvious: I had shown that I could deliver the kind of results he wanted in the past and he had witnessed it. The morale of the foregoing is that you can look forward to rewards that will accrue to you - in future - from being a peak performer today, since those who witness the things you do will willingly attest to your abilities (even when you are not there) and/or engage your services formally i.e. where there is a business benefit to be had.

Learn how to deliver peak performances routinely and repeatedly by getting into flow often, and you WILL earn similar testimonials from others around you.

Useful References

1. Article: "Curse of the Succubus" by Andrew Corsello. A humour tinged but seriously educative article about a one time Tennis world No. 1 - Pete Sampras - who KNEW how to deliver peak performances by getting into and STAYING in The Zone. It was written in "GQ Magazine October 2002 - IN THE ZONE" and subtitled >>Why has Pete Sampras fallen so fast, so hard, so…willingly? Clearly the man who perfected the Zone has lost his formidable powers. But who stole them? Cherchez la femme<<. I strongly suggest you find THAT GQ magazine edition and read THAT article by Corsello, to learn more about what it means and takes to "peak-perform" by getting into 'flow".

2. Book: "Emotional Intelligence" by Dr. Daniel Goldman. In this excellent ground breaking book subtitled "Why It(i.e. "Emotional Intelligence") can matter more than IQ", Goleman explains, with useful anecdotes about(and testimonials from) real-life high performing individuals, backed by research findings, why the ability to get into flow in the pursuit of learning and performance is Emotional Intelligence at its best. My mother bought me a copy of that book - and I remain grateful to her for doing so. Get that book and read it - you will learn a lot about the psychological processes that occur in flow and more about how you can achieve your fullest potential in life(and help others, including your kids do the same).

3. Resource: "The Internet" by Any Search Engine. I must NOT forget this one :-). Do a search on the net and you should discover additional/useful learning resources.