Learn, Share, Grow – Flow Junkies

April 12, 2021

Below is a lesson from Brian Johnson’s Optimize +1 on attaining mastery “sans misery”, as well as our key learnings.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

Find out more about Optimize +1 here.

Key Learnings:

• We can achieve mastery “sans the misery”!
• We should become “flow junkies” who use our love for what we do as fuel for our long-term achievements—enjoying the Present whilecreating an even more awesome Future!
• Steven Kotler’s 3 M’s of Mastery:
  • Mothers: This approach basically says it’s all about having a nurturing environment.
  • Musicians: This approach basically says that we need to be like Anders Ericsson’s violinists and log in 10,000 hours of grueling deliberate practice before we can have a shot at the greatness Peak.
  • Marshmallows: This approach basically says you better learn how to delay your gratification if you want to be great. Aka don’t enjoy eating that marshmallow now! Wait to enjoy two in the future.
• Kotler tells us that extreme sport athletes take an alternative path other than the 3 M’s of Mastery, to their Superhuman abilities—FLOW.
• What they did have was an absolute LOVE of what they did and the feeling they got when they entered flow. 
• Kotler tells us that there are Presents and there are Futures.
  • Presents: people who WANT.IT.ALL.NOW! Immediate gratification. They tend to be impulsive and they have a tough time with long-range planning, etc.
  • Futures: people who are able to delay gratification. They can make long-range plans and commit to mastery but because they’re so future-oriented they tend to burn themselves out by not enjoying the process.
• Flow helps both orientations. Kotler: “After three decades of research, Zimbardo found that the healthiest, happiest, highest performers blend the best of both worlds. The optimal time perspective combines the energy, joy, and openness of Presents, with the strength, fortitude, and long-term vision of the Futures.”