Being in flow – RIding the Wave
great insite by Dr Jeff Spencer – Coach to world class athletes
We have one of those days. Everything lines up just right. Our training, our planning, and our timing synchronizes perfectly and we realize what’s happening:
It’s the kind of day we live for.
The euphoria intoxicates us. We want more, because we know these days don’t come along often. With the best intentions, we do what we’ve been told we should do: we seize the day. We carpe diem. We push harder and go for more as quickly as possible, thinking we can compound the amazing sensations and send the day into the stratosphere.
There’s a problem with greed. It clouds our judgment. It skews our point of view. This is true across the board in life, and it’s also true with our transcendent days. When we get greedy with these amazing moments, we run the risk of derailing them. We force things that don’t fit. We get ahead of ourselves. In the push to get more, we try too hard. We throw our timing off, and before we know it, elation turns to frustration.
We lose the flow and the magic evaporates into thin air.
This is a valuable lesson for champions in any walk of life: learn to let these peak moments unfold organically. The next time one comes along, you’ll know exactly what to do. You’ll be confident you can get the most out of a great set of circumstances, because you’ve done it before.
You’ll see the swell on the horizon. You’ll relax. You’ll feel the energy run through you. You’ll put in exactly the right effort at exactly the right time, and you’ll ride that wave all the way home.