Peak Performance is a State of Consciousness
As many of you out there might know, Ben is an avid reader. Instead of giving you the complete list of his all-time favorites, as he has already talked about many of them, he shares a sequel in a fantastic series he recently completed titled Stealing Fire by Steven Kotler. Ben recommends reading the entire series as the second book won’t make full sense without reading the first. The first installment in the series, called The Rise of Superman, focuses on the concept of finding the “zone”. This is also known as finding your flow state. In Ben’s own vocabulary those fancy terms refer to finding one’s ability at achieving peak performance.
The “Zone”
Peak performance can occur in any objective you set out to reach. Anything from doing work in the office to cooking, cleaning your house, or athletics can be better achieved when you operate at peak performance. People who are able to find their flow state the most often are the most efficient. While Ben has been finding this zone since he was a little kid and has gotten very good at it, he is no expert on the science behind it. This series of books helped him to better understand how to get into that zone. As well as what is happening when you’re there. The first book, The Rise of Superman, details extreme athletes finding their zones. The “zone” is right at the edge of what challenges you. If something is too hard or too easy you won’t reach it. It Is when something becomes challenging but not insurmountable that one can begin to truly push themselves and perform at their optimal output. With extreme sports athletes like big wave surfers, mountain climbers and others detailed in The Rise of Superman, if a challenge is too difficult it can have dire consequences. Unlike wrestling or other situations if those people fail they aren’t losing a match, they can potentially lose their life. So, it is vitally important that they find their flow state as quickly and as often as possible in order to perform at their best. The Rise of Superman goes behind the science of these extreme situations and is continued in Stealing Fire.
Refer to the Experts
Overall, Ben is asked about finding peak performance all the time. With so many different components and moving parts to the equation, it can be hard to explain. This in return makes it even harder to achieve. Ben believes it’s beneficial to refer to experts who’ve spent years researching these topics. These books by Steven Kotler do a great job of detailing how anyone can achieve amazing results. They explain how to hack the brain for ultimate performance in all areas of work, creativity, problem-solving and more by finding their flow state.
Where to find Mental Mondays with Ben Askren
Mental Mondays, hosted by Ben Askren. Ben Askren, World Champion, and Olympic wrestler joins RUDIS from the T-Row & Funky Show in an official partnership as a content provider for all things RUDIS.
