PERENNIAL FLOW

 Perennial Flow

"Kit went up and down behind the line of guns, troubleshooting. One crew managed to set fire to an insufficiently wetted sponge; another spilled water on the gunpowder; a third lost half its men to a French cannonball. Kit’s task was to get the guns firing again with minimum delay. He realized he was no longer frightened. This struck him as most peculiar, but he had no time to think about it....Mostly he was astonished at the way he had lost himself in the job he had to do and had forgotten about the danger he was in. He had not been brave, he thought; just too busy to think about it."

The above lines are excerpted from the novel "The Armor of Light", the fifth book of "Kingsbridge" series by Ken Follett. Kit, one of the protagonists, is fighting as a conscript in the British Army against the French. He lacks the heart of a soldier; he has the art of an engineer. But, on the battlefield, he finds himself deeply and fearlessly engaged in getting the guns firing efficiently.

We are always swinging over one or the other mood. We are ubiquitously and cyclically sad, elated, shocked, joyous, excited, pained, calmed, perturbed, pensive, anxious, anguished, bored, depressed, and so on. 

However, there is an irregularly occurring optimal mental state that we find ourselves in at odd times. An exalted state called ‘flow’. 

Naturally, the word 'flow' originates from the flow of water or wind. Like a free flowing river melting from a glacier, falling off a peak, cascading over terrains, meandering through plains, and merging with the sea. Or like the wind, gliding over the sea, dancing with waves, sweeping the land, rustling the leaves, swaying with grasses, whistling through windows and fluttering over curtains. 

We flow from time to time, time and again. When it happens, we get unusually immersed in our act. Our attention, energy and interest harmonize with each other and peak into a crescendo. We become oblivious of our surroundings, as no one and nothing can bother anymore. We forget the passage of time - either it goes in ultra slow motion to aid us make complex manoeuvres or we simply lose count of time and hours slip away like seconds.

Certain physiological and psychological changes happen during passage through a state of flow. Heart rate and blood pressure comes down. Gamma waves, which have a frequency of more than 36 Hz, now travel through the brain. (It is worthwhile to remember that Delta waves, of frequency below 4 Hz, are associated with deep sleep, Theta waves, 4 - 8 Hz, with drowsiness, Aplha waves, 8 to 13 Hz, with restfulness, and Beta waves, 13 - 35 Hz, with analytical activity). One feels more enriched than exhausted. And, most significantly, the mindset and skill set of person grow. 

The ease of doing a thing determines whether we are in a flow. If it is too easy or too difficult then we are not likely to get into a flow. The task must be difficult and at the same time doable.  If it is too difficult for us, we will get tired. And if it is too easy we will get bored. If we are doing routine jobs like eating or bathing we will not notice our act. Similarly, if we have never been to the gym and suddenly try to lift heavy weights one day, then we will find it tedious and will tire out. We may, nevertheless, like 'Manjhi Man', aim to cut through a mountain, but we will have to do it bit by bit, one bit at a time.

And, so, there must be a feedback. Thus, the task just be difficult and doable and the result of the effort must be measurable.

One of the key operative words for attaining flow, therefore, is “incremental challenge”. We have to raise the level of an act in notches. Aim for a little more effort everytime. Each rise that will happen then is likely to be a flow experience. 

Flow is the same state that Usain Bolt must be in every time he betters his own record. For some stretch of the hundred-metre-sprint he would no longer be running.He would be gliding. Or, flying.

Routine acts of walking, sitting, eating or bathing can also be made enjoyable if we paid attention to their nuances or try doing them differently. 

We can also make natural experiences exhilarating if we indulge in them as they happen. Feel the sensations as we sit or lie, doing nothing. Pay our attention to tiny inconsequential occurrences. To something in sight. To coursing breaths, the heaving chest, blinking eyelids. Imagine closing your eyes and listening to sounds coming from far and near. Feel the breeze caressing your skin. The surf splashing over your feet as they dig into the sand and as it drags them along while retreating. 

Trying to do a foolhardy job, however, is not going to bring flow. Yes, one must will to do it, foremostly. And then one must be skilled to do it. If skills are not present then developing them should be the first aim. After acquiring a skill, one must aim to improve it. 

Now lets summarise flow. First one must want to do a task, then know how to do it, then focus on it by cutting the noise out and attending to the job at hand, at this moment. Like a horse with blinkers, like a train through a tunnel. After motivation, skill and focus, then one must have feedback. If one is a writer, the ultimate feedback is that her book has become a bestseller. But waiting for that to happen will bring anxiety instead of flow. So, one may set a daily word count. That is, a realistic target. Even subjectively feeling a feedback is good enough. Finally, one must constantly explore new avenues requiring new skills. And keep stretching their limits.

Flow will happen when it happens. Being consciously expectant of it will only stall it from happening. One must persist with all our faculties and focus wholeheartedly invested. 

Imagine you are a musician. Your fingers are engaging with the strings or the keys. In effect they are waltzing and salsaing with each other. And music flows out of this fluidic coordination. 

Imagine you are an amateur tennis player. Your first target is to keep the ball over the net, then within the court. Once you are able to do these,  you have to upscale yourself by hitting the ball harder and increasing its pace. Ultimately you have to beat the opponent with an ace. 

If we do what we like, and like what we do, if we engage deeply while doing it, if we enjoy doing it, if it is challenging and, at the same time, doable and it gives us measurable results then we are likely to get into flow. 

Make it your own. Even if it is a task given by someone else, tell yourself that you want to do it. That it is your task. That you are doing it for yourself. If you are a student and you have to study history and find it boring, try to make it interesting by visiting a museum that has collections related to your topic. If it is science or geography try to relate to natural happenings around you. Create an incentive for yourself. 

Learn to laugh at yourself. Forgive yourself for your failures and falls. Give yourself another chance. Get up every time and do not give up. 

Flow is neither so effortless that it happens on autopilot nor so forceful that it causes us to crash land. Let us return to the analogy of flowing water. Imagine still water cutting through rocks. First it takes the shape of a hard rock. But gradually it shapes the very rock. It manages to make its way through it, no matter what. Similarly, relentless wind beats and erodes and wears the mountain down. The end effect of perseverance is profound.

Imagine the wind over a wing. It is called the boundary layer and its dynamics is called laminar flow. It is just a few millimeters thick. Beyond and behind this wing is turbulent flow. If you increase the incline of the wing the boundary layer will detach. Reduce the speed at which the wing is moving and the boundary layer will become turbulent. You will also need vortex generators to reinvigorate the boundary layer with vortices and prevent it from detaching. So, to be in flow like the streamlined and laminar boundary layer over an aircraft wing we must have the correct aero foil, angle of attack, air speed, vortex generators and air speed indicators. But foremostly, we must run hard and take the leap and take off.

So, if you want to be in flow, make the experience your own, be at it, cut the noise out, and raise the bar. And keep raising the bar, keep the noise out and keep at it. And the experience becomes expertise.

You are born motivated. Be motivated. Be in flow.