This clip, from one of my all time favourite movies – “Chariots of Fire” – never fails to move me. Chariots of Fire is a British historical drama film that is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell: a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice. Eric’s obvious passion for running made him special. Simply watching his performance inspires. Imagine having that much passion for what you do at work. What would that mean to you and those you serve? How would “work” be if you loved your work so much you found yourself often in the same state of Flow that Eric seems to be in in this clip?
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In my youth, I was a Badminton fanatic, in fact, came from such a family! Apart from school and home, the badminton hall was my third home. I trained and competed at school, club and state level. Loved it – the friends I made, the thrill of winning, the heartbreak of losses, the travel, the huge bundle of nerves I had to learn to overcome before every match, learning to adapt to all sorts of styles of play by my opponents and mostly, being part of another “family”.
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It was through sport that I first experienced what in psychology is called a state of Flow. Have you ever been completely and utterly immersed in a task? Oblivious to the outside world, focused only on your own progress and what’s going on right here and now? That’s Flow. Flow is one of life’s highly enjoyable states of being, wrapping us entirely in the present, and helping us be more creative, productive, and happy.
“Be still like a mountain and flow like a great river.” Lao Tzu
I remember being 14 and preparing for a big match. It was difficult to concentrate at school that morning. My mind was fixated on that big game, which was scheduled for around 5pm that afternoon. It was for the state Under-15 singles title. I was a massive underdog. My opponent, a prodigious talent had just been crowned the Under-20 champion just a couple of weeks before that. I kept thinking how amazing it would be if I could somehow win that title.
I remember getting home, having a quick lunch and to kill time (I simply couldn’t concentrate on anything else), I just sat on a couch, playing the ideal “movie” of how I’d want the match to go over and over in my mind. I mentally rehearsed every retrieval, imagined myself hitting the lines with my shots and moving around the court effortlessly. I saw myself on the podium after the match, feeling humbled, exhausted and yet, filled with pride knowing my greatest fans – my parents – were in the crowd. Today, we call this process “visualisation”. It’s something I practise in my goal and vision setting and before every meeting, workshop and coaching session I run. I had not been trained to do that – I just distinctly remember doing it. If my parents had seen me, they would have labeled my actions “daydreaming” – something they frowned on. Today, I encourage everyone to make time to get off the treadmill of life to dream big – creating in your mind the ideal possibilities of your future.
I remember getting onto the court that day and distinctly being in Flow around the middle of the first set. Back then, I did not have a term to describe this state which was a new and pretty unique experience. It felt surreal. I was fully present and yet, it felt like I had somehow transported myself into the movie scene I had created in my mind over and over again before the match. The noise of the crowd, the “squeaky” sounds our shoes made on the court, the feel the racquet strings made in contact with the shuttlecock and the umpire’s scoring seemed to come from a muted, hollow chamber. I felt no nerves. Just a deep sense of knowing, of confidence, that I was going to win that match that day. I did win – it would be one of the biggest victories of my career, mostly because it was unexpected by everyone, including me and because of that first experience of Flow. Since that first experience, I recall getting into that state several other times and mostly when I was doing what I was most passionate about – playing badminton.
In my 19-year career in I.T. before I found my calling as a speaker, trainer and coach, I cannot recall ever experiencing that state at work. My mindset back then was that work was, well, work – never associating it as a place where I could and should be passionate about. It was just a way to make a living. And yet, in the 15 years I’ve been coaching, speaking and training, even writing this post, I find myself often in Flow. It’s something that gives me great joy and peace – that feeling that I am authentically one with my audience, being vulnerable, learning and sharing together. I know my other wonderful colleagues at EQ Strategist, who share Sue and my passion for helping others find and realise their highest potential, experience this often too. It’s why we love what we do so much and never take for granted how blessed we are.
Have you ever experienced the state of Flow at work? Imagine being able to do this often. If your answer is “no”, I want you to firstly be aware that this is possible. And secondly to make it your goal to have a career that is conducive to helping you experience this often. HR research shows that on the average, we will spend 90,000 hours or 1/3 of our life at work. It’s far too much time to not have fun doing it. Heed this wonderful piece of wisdom from the late Steve Jobs:
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”
Feel like your team could do with a dose of inspiration to connect more deeply with their higher purpose? Book a complimentary strategy call with us to explore contextualising one of the following keynotes or courses to your needs:
