Is optimal performance addictive?

Written by Stuart Haden on February 24, 2016

I was running a workshop in London recently, I asked the participants to tell me about what motivated them at work. As a leading insurer I knew what was coming. Money, money, money… I paused as we heard from everyone in the group, the response was unanimous. But then I ventured onto another lap, this time the responses were slow, paying lip service to my invite.

To provoke the group further I asked them why they hadn’t chosen one of the

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Why is optimal performance such a secret?

Written by Stuart Haden on February 17, 2016

Flow states and optimal performance are practiced and researched in three well known parts of society. These areas keep them a secret, for good reason. Sharing these secrets has never been part of their game, a secret kept from their enemies or wrapped under a research cloud. Sport, military academia all rely heavily on the science of flow.

Last years gold medalist is hardly going to write an article on how he/she found flow so that the silver medalist and other stragglers

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Why we always need to ‘bring it’

Written by Stuart Haden on February 10, 2016

The science of optimal performance reminds us that flow is reliant on psychological, environmental, social and creative factors. However, if you take a look at this video you’ll notice that playing a waiting game will rarely lead to high performance.

Robert M Pirsig wrote, “The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.” Thus the only flow you find in your life is the flow you bring there. So what are you bringing?

This is

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Can you push past flow and into awareness?

Written by Stuart Haden on February 3, 2016

Being present has long been held as a state of optimal performance. Being in flow is recognised as a zone of peak performance. But even if you make it this far then I bet there is still another gear left in you.

Being present or in flow is the booby prize, there are yet more rewards within your grasp. Herein lies the power button – awareness. Awareness of presence. Awareness of flow.

When you are aware you can be more deliberate and precise. Stay

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