High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 515: Three Barriers to Flow

Episode Date: October 3, 2022

Finding your flow zone starts with your mind and channeling your focus to the present moment. There are three barriers to flow which we discuss in this episode. In this episode, we refer to these 3 barriers as The Three Fs: 1. Focusing on the outcome, 2. Forcing flow, and 3. Focusing on yourself. Your mind is a muscle; it takes daily practice to master it. Flow is like a muscle—the more you train and experience flow.    Power Phrase this Week: “My mind is like a muscle. I train my mind to increase my chances of finding flow.”    Quote of the Week: “If you can’t control the current of the river, then don’t fight it. Just go with the flow.” Anonymous  

Hi friends, my name is Dr. Sindra Kampoff, a national leader in the field of sport and performance psychology. Every week I'm on the local radio sharing my top tips on exactly how to develop the mindset of the world's best, so you can accomplish all your dreams. Get ready for a jammed, packed episode focused on practical tips to help you get after your goals and step out of your comfort zone. Let's go. Time to check in with Cinder Kampoff today. Three barriers to flow. Flow. We're talking

about flow today. Cinder, start us off with a quote. I love this anonymous quote and it says, if you can't control the current of the river, then don't fight it. Just go with the flow. Go with the flow. So tell us exactly what we're going to be talking about today. Well, today what we're actually talking about is this idea of flow. And I just want people to think about, you know, what do you enjoy so much that you kind of forget about all your worries? And what are you doing when time flies? So chances are, likely when you're doing those activities, you're experiencing flow. And this is a concept first coined by a psychologist named Cechsek Mihaly.

That's his last name. He's the author of a bestselling book called Flow. And he discovered, you know, years and years of research on creativity and performance with a wide range of professionals, including Nobel Prize winners, that really the secret to optimal performance is to reach the flow state, which is like this ultimate optimal experience where you're completely absorbed in the activity that you enjoy. So, Cinder, what can you tell us about people and what they say when they experience flow? They say it feels effortless. And when you are experiencing flow, you're using really all of your skills to the fullest of your potential. You know, you're so absorbed in the task that nothing else seems to matter. Time can go by really fast or sometimes it can slow down. And it's really where you're performing at your best.

And research shows that when you are experiencing flow, you're more satisfied with the work you're doing and you can maintain better energy. So what gets in the way of us experiencing that flow? Well, I interviewed a woman named Susan Jackson, and she wrote a book with Czech Psych Me High called Flow in Sports. And I interviewed her on my podcast called High Performance Mindset. It was episode 359. And we were talking about, you know, she had this incredible insight on how to tap into flow. But one of the things that was really interesting is she said that there are three kind of barriers or inhibitors to flow. And that's what we're going to talk about quickly. We're going to talk about these three Fs, where we focus on the outcome, we can focus on forcing flow, and then we're focusing on ourselves. And those are the things that get in the way of

flow. So tell us more about how we can avoid the three Fs. Well, I'd say first, when we focus on the outcome, it really brings our attention away from the present moment and on the process. And that's really important to experiencing flow is that where you're really in the moment. And, you know, elite athletes, Olympic athletes really know this the best when they're focused on winning or the score or getting first place. Their performance can quickly decline. And so really, instead of focusing on the outcome, like ultimately what we want in the future, we want to stay focused on the small things or the process. So we can really be in the moment. And that's where flow is more likely to happen. How about forcing flow and focusing on yourself? What do you mean there?

Well, what I mean by there is like when you when you force flow, you're actually getting away from it because you're pressing and you're pushing instead of just letting it come naturally. So I think the key there is just to trust yourself and move forward with ease and trust instead of just forcing things. And then when we focus on ourselves, this is where we kind of forget the reason why we're doing the work. And sometimes we can overthink and get in our head and feel really self-conscious. So instead, the key is to focus on the task at hand. And that's going to help you really more likely feel flow. So what is a recommendation that you have for us to maybe experience flow more? So I would say, let's think about what leads to you feeling flow. What do you love so much that time really goes by really quickly? And I'd encourage people to think about,

you know, a time where they were in the flow and what it felt like and what you think led to that feeling and what are the activities in your life that you experienced flow? Because that's ultimately, you know, this idea of peak performance where you're really the most alive. And for me, it's things where I'm giving a keynote

or I'm working with one-on-one with a person. And so, you know, just I would encourage people to think about what are those activities that when you feel slow, what do they have in common and what leads to that for you? Cinder, what's your final point for today? So my final point is finding this low state really starts with your mind, right? Where you're focused and really staying in the present moment. And this idea that your mind is a muscle and it takes daily practice to master it. And just like flow, it's like a muscle.

The more you train it, the more you understand more about yourself and what you love and enjoy, the more you're going to experience it. Leave us with a power phrase this week. Okay, I will. Okay, here's a power phrase. My mind is like a muscle.

I train my mind to increase my chances of finding my flow. All right. Let's hope everybody finds their flow this week. And, Sindra, if people want to get in touch with you and follow along or maybe listen to your podcast, what's the best place to go? You can head over to DrSindra, so D-R-C-I-N-D-R-A.com. And my new book, Beyond Grit for Business, I talk about flow.

And this is part of one of the chapters on flow. So you can head over just to beyondgrit.com and learn more there too. Way to go for finishing another episode of the High Performance Mindset. I'm giving you a virtual fist pump. Holy cow, did that go by way too fast for anyone else? If you want more, remember to

subscribe and you can head over to Dr. Sindra for show notes and to join my exclusive community for high performers where you get access to videos about mindset each week. So again, you can head over to Dr. Sindra. That's D-R-C-I-N-D-R-A dot com. See you next week.