Flow

With the AFL (Aussie Rules) Grand Final on tomorrow I find myself thinking about the concept of flow yet again(one of my favourite subjects). Mike Csikszentmihalyi has dedicated much of his working life to the concept of 'flow' (a metaphor for water carrying us along); feeling completely at home within yourself when you work or the positive emotion about the present with no conscious thought or feeling attached to the outcome or when challenges faced perfectly mesh with our ability to meet them.
Many elite sportspeople talk about flow and trying to recreate or recapture these very moments. The moment when everything comes together and time stands still. When we are immersed in our own world and all else stands still - the task becomes effortless, we become fully focused, completely involved. The teams are well matched and successful in their own rights. The team with the most players who experience moments of flow, 'who are in the zone' despite the pressures, will no doubt be victors.