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Overview

One way to get into the zone is to set achievable goals. For example, if you’re an author then your goal should be something like “write two awesome paragraphs.” This helps you focus on what’s in front of you and offers immediate feedback for improvement.

Extreme sports are all about pushing the limits of what is humanly possible. The top performers in these activities have a special ability to enter a state called flow, which allows them to achieve optimal performance and feel their best. Extreme athletes simply learn how to induce this state more often than others do. There’s also some amazing stories that accompany extreme sports, such as the $2 bet that led to one of the craziest and most extreme sports ever invented, plus you’ll find out how a twelve-year-old landed tricks once thought impossible by anyone else.

Big Idea #1: Being in a state of flow is crucial for peak performance. It often feels like you’re on a spiritual high.

Have you ever felt that the world around you disappeared and you were completely focused on a task? Have you noticed that when this happens, your performance is at its best? If so, then flow is something that’s familiar to you. Flow is a mental state in which we can perform our very best.

Creativity is one way to measure intelligence. It also helps us solve problems and find new ways of looking at things.

For example, Laird Hamilton might have died had he not followed his creative insights.

When the enormous wave broke near the coast, he put his hands on the opposite side of the board to prevent getting sucked up into a hydraulic. This is amazing because it was something that had never been done before and saved him from death.

In addition, many people report hearing the voice of their subconscious when they are in the flow state. For example, famous climber Dean Potter recounts climbing a mountain and attributes his success to his intuition. When he reached a wall that was three times the size of New York’s Chrysler building, he made 670 correct moves up it with no equipment. Just one wrong move would have meant death but his intuition did not mislead him.

People who are in a flow state often lose their sense of self. In other words, they feel like they’re no longer themselves. They become the activity that they’re performing at the time. For example, surfers often have this experience after being in a flow state while surfing waves.

Big Idea #2: The flow state is closely linked to our neurochemistry.

Flow is often tied to spirituality and can be experienced as such. When we enter flow, our brains release the following chemicals that make us feel good and also help with performance:

Dopamine helps us focus on the task at hand and find solutions to problems. It also makes us feel excited about what we’re doing and want to explore more things, which is why it’s so important for creative people.

After adrenaline, there is norepinephrine. It helps us stay focused and makes our skills better.

Norepinephrine increases our blood sugar, which gives us energy. It also speeds up our heart rate and respiration to ensure that we don’t get tired easily. In the brain, it improves emotional control and attention so that we can stay focused on what is important.

This is combined with a healthy dose of anandamide, which boosts our creativity. Anandamide increases lateral thought and reduces fear in order to encourage us to test out these novel ideas. In addition, endorphins offer relief from muscle pain that extreme athletes experience when pushing their bodies to the absolute limits.