How to switch into your peak flow state, in 10 minutes or less
Before you go into your next sales call, investor pitch, or important team meeting, consider the following…
‘State’ is a powerful thing. How you feel on the inside, in any given situation, makes a real, measurable impact on the outside world.
State gives you the power to influence. Being in a positive state can magnetically draw others into your reality, while a negative state can repel them just as strongly.
Whether or not you believe in ‘woo woo’ energy, whenever you communicate with others, you are sending out hundreds of signals that are imperceptible at the conscious level of awareness.
Your tonality, eye contact, facial micro-expressions, subconscious body language, ability to improvise and respond quickly, are all outside of your conscious control. These things matter and make all the difference in the outcome of any interaction.
…But they’re beyond the level of your conscious mind. You can’t ‘think’ your way into confidence. It comes from outside of your head.
Do you remember a situation when you were in a state of flow? Everything came easy to you. It felt like your words or actions were all perfectly timed. People’s faces lit up as they nodded in agreement. You felt heard, you felt understood. You KNEW you had value to share with the world.
Maybe you’ve had many instances like that in your life. Maybe not. Here’s how to reliably tap into that power in any situation. If you practice and internalize these 5-steps, you’ll have the power to control your destiny by entering a flow state in those critical moments of your journey.
Step 1 – Get moving, get out of your head and into your body
Yes, we all know that we need to exercise more, for our long-term health. But did you know there’s a short-term benefit that follows immediately after a few minutes of physical exertion?
It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you get your heart rate up. Cardio, resistance training, high intensity intervals, even a few sets of pushups, will carry these benefits for several hours after.
Step 2 – Meditation and breathwork changes your physiology
I didn’t believe in this stuff for the longest time, until I gave an honest try. If you’ve spent only a few minutes experimenting with Wim Hof’s breathing technique, for example, you know how real it is. Your entire body is buzzing and tingling, as gain control of your autonomic nervous system.
Other techniques that have a similar benefit.
Step 3 – Prayer, gratitude, intention get you beyond the ego
I’m not a religious guy. I didn’t have any spiritual beliefs until well into my adult life.
Here’s the thing, you need to realize that the tiny ‘ego’ is not the ultimate truth of the universe. The voice in your head that says, “I can’t do this” or “I don’t know what to say” FEELS like it is real, but it’s not. It’s not even your true voice, it’s just a negative program running loops in your head.
Reach outside yourself, to get the power to silence this inner critic.
Step 4 – Get into a social flow
Call your mom, call your best friend. Go outside and exchange pleasantries with your neighbor or the supermarket checkout employee.
The environment outside your head is completely different than that inside your head. Social skills are like a muscle, they need to be trained and they need to be warmed up. You can’t go from a week of isolation, sitting in your room by yourself, straight into a live situation with others and expect to perform well.
As a lifelong ‘introvert’, I now 100% believe that extroversion is mostly a habit. It needs to be practiced every day, and gets easier once you’re warmed up.
Just a few minutes of speaking to another human being, preferably in-person but also via phone or video call, will get you into that social flow.
Step 5 – Let go and let it happen
When it’s finally time to face that high-stakes situation, you need to let everything go.
All your practice, all your planning, all the scenarios that you played through in your head about how things would go... none of it is useful in the moments before you act.
What will be will be. It’s no longer in your conscious control. It’s time to let go of your attachment to the outcome.
If there’s any nervousness or anxiety left in your body after the previous steps, just accept them. Let those feelings be there. They are just physiological processes in your primitive, animal body. It doesn’t matter if there’s a tiny voice in your head screaming ‘no, no, no’… trust that your flow state will carry you through and give you the power in the moment to do what you need to do.
It’s NEVER going to be exactly as you imagined it. Be present in your body, let it all happen, and if possible… have fun!
Before you go into your next sales call, investor pitch, or important team meeting, consider the following…
‘State’ is a powerful thing. How you feel on the inside, in any given situation, makes a real, measurable impact on the outside world.
State gives you the power to influence. Being in a positive state can magnetically draw others into your reality, while a negative state can repel them just as strongly.
Whether or not you believe in ‘woo woo’ energy, whenever you communicate with others, you are sending out hundreds of signals that are imperceptible at the conscious level of awareness.
Your tonality, eye contact, facial micro-expressions, subconscious body language, ability to improvise and respond quickly, are all outside of your conscious control. These things matter and make all the difference in the outcome of any interaction.
…But they’re beyond the level of your conscious mind. You can’t ‘think’ your way into confidence. It comes from outside of your head.
Do you remember a situation when you were in a state of flow? Everything came easy to you. It felt like your words or actions were all perfectly timed. People’s faces lit up as they nodded in agreement. You felt heard, you felt understood. You KNEW you had value to share with the world.
Maybe you’ve had many instances like that in your life. Maybe not. Here’s how to reliably tap into that power in any situation. If you practice and internalize these 5-steps, you’ll have the power to control your destiny by entering a flow state in those critical moments of your journey.
Step 1 – Get moving, get out of your head and into your body
Yes, we all know that we need to exercise more, for our long-term health. But did you know there’s a short-term benefit that follows immediately after a few minutes of physical exertion?
- Engaging in exercise diverts you from the very thing you are anxious about.
- Moving your body decreases muscle tension, lowering the body’s contribution to feeling anxious.
- Getting your heart rate up changes brain chemistry, increasing the availability of important anti-anxiety neurochemicals, including serotonin, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and endocannabinoids.
- Exercise activates frontal regions of the brain responsible for executive function, which helps control the amygdala, our reacting system to real or imagined threats to our survival.
- Exercising regularly builds up resources that bolster resilience against stormy emotions.
It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you get your heart rate up. Cardio, resistance training, high intensity intervals, even a few sets of pushups, will carry these benefits for several hours after.
Step 2 – Meditation and breathwork changes your physiology
I didn’t believe in this stuff for the longest time, until I gave an honest try. If you’ve spent only a few minutes experimenting with Wim Hof’s breathing technique, for example, you know how real it is. Your entire body is buzzing and tingling, as gain control of your autonomic nervous system.
Other techniques that have a similar benefit.
- ‘Navy seals’, or box breathing technique breathing 4 seconds in, 4 seconds hold, 4 seconds out, 4 seconds hold.
- Meditation, either with your own breathing practice or through an app like Headspace
- Cold showers (even 30 seconds, just until the ‘fight or flight’ panic starts to subside)
Step 3 – Prayer, gratitude, intention get you beyond the ego
I’m not a religious guy. I didn’t have any spiritual beliefs until well into my adult life.
Here’s the thing, you need to realize that the tiny ‘ego’ is not the ultimate truth of the universe. The voice in your head that says, “I can’t do this” or “I don’t know what to say” FEELS like it is real, but it’s not. It’s not even your true voice, it’s just a negative program running loops in your head.
Reach outside yourself, to get the power to silence this inner critic.
- Pray to whatever god you believe in
- Pray to a ‘higher power’ or ‘the universe’
- Pray to your higher self
- Reflect on what you are grateful for in your life, even if you want more, reframe and realize how much abundance you already have.
- Focus and reflect on the intention of WHY you are doing this, in the big picture. Is it to provide a better life for your family? Visualize your family member’s faces laughing and smiling. Is it to create a better world? Focus on the feeling that creates inside you
Step 4 – Get into a social flow
Call your mom, call your best friend. Go outside and exchange pleasantries with your neighbor or the supermarket checkout employee.
The environment outside your head is completely different than that inside your head. Social skills are like a muscle, they need to be trained and they need to be warmed up. You can’t go from a week of isolation, sitting in your room by yourself, straight into a live situation with others and expect to perform well.
As a lifelong ‘introvert’, I now 100% believe that extroversion is mostly a habit. It needs to be practiced every day, and gets easier once you’re warmed up.
Just a few minutes of speaking to another human being, preferably in-person but also via phone or video call, will get you into that social flow.
Step 5 – Let go and let it happen
When it’s finally time to face that high-stakes situation, you need to let everything go.
All your practice, all your planning, all the scenarios that you played through in your head about how things would go... none of it is useful in the moments before you act.
What will be will be. It’s no longer in your conscious control. It’s time to let go of your attachment to the outcome.
If there’s any nervousness or anxiety left in your body after the previous steps, just accept them. Let those feelings be there. They are just physiological processes in your primitive, animal body. It doesn’t matter if there’s a tiny voice in your head screaming ‘no, no, no’… trust that your flow state will carry you through and give you the power in the moment to do what you need to do.
It’s NEVER going to be exactly as you imagined it. Be present in your body, let it all happen, and if possible… have fun!
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