{"id":1675,"date":"2015-11-12T21:12:56","date_gmt":"2015-11-12T20:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lornemitchell.com\/?p=1675"},"modified":"2019-10-04T17:49:56","modified_gmt":"2019-10-04T16:49:56","slug":"experiencing-flow-and-being-in-the-zone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.lornemitchell.com\/?p=1675","title":{"rendered":"Experiencing Flow and Being in the Zone"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The older I become, the clearer I become about one thing. Life is all about flow. \u00a0And the current modern madness that we see in society is mainly due to us being “out of the flow” and not “in the zone”.<\/p>\n

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What do I mean?<\/p>\n

Last week,\u00a0a friend asked me to act as a witness at a local planning enquiry. \u00a0It was no normal planning enquiry. \u00a0It lasted five days and had barristers for the prosecution (the district council) and the defence (my friend). \u00a0It was more like the hearing of a legal case in a court of law.<\/p>\n

I was asked to turn up as a witness on the final day last Friday. \u00a0Having just come off a week\u2019s training in presentation skills, I thought I would put them to the test. \u00a0I knew I had a very short slot (10 minutes maximum). \u00a0I decided to take up five. \u00a0I wanted to create maximum impact. \u00a0How should I go about it?<\/p>\n

A bit more context. \u00a0My friend and his wife allow me to put my eight hives on their land. \u00a0Their land is an oasis of natural flora and fauna – itself nestled in an ancient woodland in area of outstanding natural beauty. \u00a0It is so unique, it has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (or SSI).<\/p>\n

My friend and his wife live onsite to manage the woodlands. \u00a0They also allow me to keep eight hives on their land. \u00a0They were merely seeking permission to extend their project for another three years. \u00a0They live off-grid practicing the most sustainable living of any family I know. \u00a0To be applauded and copied, you would think, – particularly in this modern era of climate change and sustainable living. \u00a0But no. \u00a0The establishment was not happy. \u00a0My friends might set a precedent. \u00a0We might have hundreds of woodland owners taking to living in the woods and becoming feral. \u00a0And that is not a good thing, apparently.<\/p>\n

The previous four days of inquiry and inquisition had been hell for all involved. \u00a0An important stand against the erosion of some law written somewhere or a total waste of precious government money? \u00a0Not for me to decide, but I tend to believe it was the latter. \u00a0The final day was for supporters to give evidence. \u00a0Throughout the whole week, no one turned up to oppose the proposal.<\/p>\n

I arrived at 09.30 and got the first speaking slot for the day. \u00a0I did not speak on behalf of myself. I petitioned on account of the bees that I keep! \u00a0Everyone knows that bees are under threat. \u00a0I described the project as a colony of bees might. \u00a0Appreciating my friends generosity allowing them to have the bees on their land and at their gallant efforts to protect and conserve the nature in these ancient woodlands. \u00a0At the end of the short talk, I stood up and offered everyone in the room a pot of this year\u2019s honey. \u00a0The courtroom melted. \u00a0I was so in the flow or “in the zone”. \u00a0It was a deeply moving experience. \u00a0It was brilliant!<\/p>\n

From Wikipedia<\/a>:\u00a0 In positive psychology,\u00a0flow<\/strong>, also known as\u00a0the zone<\/strong>\u00a0 It is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.<\/em><\/p>\n

Named by\u00a0Mih\u00e1ly Cs\u00edkszentmih\u00e1lyi, the concept has been widely referenced across a variety of fields (and has an especially extensive recognition in Occupational Therapy), though has existed for thousands of years under other guises, notably in some Eastern religions. \u00a0 Achieving flow is often colloquially referred to as “being in the zone”<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jeanne Nakamura and Cs\u00edkszentmih\u00e1lyi identify the following six factors as encompassing an experience of flow.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Intense and focused concentration on the present moment<\/em><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Merging of action and awareness<\/em><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0A loss of reflective self-consciousness<\/em><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0A sense of personal control or agency over the situation or activity<\/em><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0A distortion of temporal experience, one\u2019s subjective experience of time is altered<\/em><\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Experience of the activity as intrinsically rewarding,\u00a0<\/em>also referred to as\u00a0autotelic\u00a0experience<\/em><\/p>\n

Earlier this week I took on two new mentees. \u00a0Folk who have been washed-out of the corporate system. \u00a0“Over fifty and out”. \u00a0Both trying to face the new uncertain world for post-corporate man. \u00a0Again, faced with a challenge to know the right thing to do, I constructed a short course in realignment. \u00a0Before plunging into the more standard questions that treat individuals like 20th century companies – like “what is your personal mission statement”, I reflected back on what had worked for me in the past when I was a mentored twenty years ago. \u00a0The first step in the process was to write six to eight stories (or vignettes) where I felt good about something I had achieved. \u00a0Each story took about a page to write-up. \u00a0The common theme for me was that at some stage in all stories across I was \u201cin the flow\u201d or \u201cin the zone\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the run-up to 2016, I am going to use the weekly Thursday Thoughts slot to build on the idea of filling our lives with events where we are truly \u201cin the zone\u201d.
\nIf you are\u00a0interested\u00a0in exploring these ideas in\u00a0the last few weeks of 2015 and launch yourself into 2016 with new energy and enthusiasm, then as an exercise, I suggest that you write down six to eight events in your life that you were \u201cin the zone\u201d and achieved something extraordinary for yourself or others.<\/p>\n