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81 " Flow tends to be the psychic signature of world-class performance and paradigm-shifting breakthroughs, "
― Steven Kotler , The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance
82 " It’s not how good you are; it’s how good you want to be. "
83 " The past three decades have witnessed unprecedented growth in what researchers now term ultimate human performance. This is not the same as optimal human performance, and the difference is in the consequences. Optimal performance is about being your best; ultimate performance is about being your best when any mistake could kill. Both common sense and evolutionary biology tell us that progress under these “ultimate” conditions should be a laggard’s game, but that’s not exactly what the data suggests. "
84 " Instead, over the past thirty years, in the world of action and adventure sports, in situations where asses really were on the line, the bounds of the possible have been pushed further and faster than ever before in history. We’ve seen near-exponential growth in ultimate human performance, which is both hyperbolic paradox and considerable mystery. Somehow, a generation’s worth of iconoclastic misfits have rewritten the rules of the feasible, not just raising the bar but often obliterating it altogether. And this brings up one final question: Where–if anywhere–do our actual limits lie? "
85 " Well, for starters, the obvious: we all seem to agree genius begins with feats of mental greatness. The thinking needs to be novel, so the results need to be beyond what most can envision. As it takes courage to push past the confines of culture, the thinking must also be brave. Because an athlete’s canvas is nothing more than his body moving through space and time, then an act of genius must also be defined as an act of redefinition–redefining what is possible for the human body. "
86 " This means flow packs a double punch: it doesn’t just increase our decision-making abilities—it increases our creative decision-making abilities. Dramatically. "
87 " The greatest athletes aren’t interested in the greatest risks. I mean, sometimes they’re taken, sometimes not, but those physical risks are a by-product of a much deeper desire to take creative risks. Don’t be fooled by the danger. In action and adventure sports, creativity is always the point. "
88 " When doing what we most love transforms us into the best possible version of ourselves and that version hints at even greater future possibilities, the urge to explore those possibilities becomes feverish compulsion. Intrinsic motivation goes through the roof. Thus flow becomes an alternative path to mastery, sans the misery. "
89 " Companionship drives focus into the now "
90 " Correct predictions result in understanding. Incorrect predictions result in confusion and prompt you to pay attention. "
91 " These experiences were profound — people were radically different on the other side. Happier, more content, significantly more fulfilled. "
92 " Risk heightens focus and flow follows focus. This means that the fight-or-flight response primes the body—chemically and psychologically—for the flow state. Athletes report moving through one to get to the other. "
93 " Training in high-stress situations increases what psychologists call “situational awareness.” Defined as the ability to absorb information accurately, assess it calmly, and respond appropriately, situational awareness is essentially the ability to keep cool when all hell breaks loose. Because attention and pattern recognition are so heightened by flow, training in the state radically increases situational awareness. "
94 " When you’re pushing the limits of ultimate human performance, the choice is stark: it’s flow or die. "
95 " psychologists have found that the people who have the most flow in their lives are the happiest people on earth. "
96 " This is another reason why flow states significantly enhance performance: when the “self” disappears, it takes many of our limits along for the ride. "
97 " When doing what we most love transforms us into the best possible version of ourselves and that version hints at even greater future possibilities, the urge to explore those possibilities becomes feverish compulsion. "
98 " In flow, we are so focused on the task at hand that everything else falls away. Action and awareness merge. Time flies. Self vanishes. Performance goes through the roof. "
99 " impossible is just the kind of challenge we’ve been waiting for. What the world needs most is Superman. What the world needs most is us. "
100 " That’s why people who seek out group flow often join startups or work for themselves. Serial entrepreneurs keep starting new business as much for the flow experience, as for the additional success. "