{"data":{"id":"83088b76-2044-48dc-88ac-c34a620df718","updated_at":"2024-04-09T15:26:46Z","template_id":"73046548-86ec-431a-aca0-75b53bc936f3","localized":{"blocks":[{"id":"867bf515-800d-4870-8f95-f5d92ecaf9cb","kind":"richtext","content_html":"

Have you ever experienced a “flow state” in your life?

If you’re not familiar with what this is, it was actually a term coined by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in 1975.

Wikipedia defines flow as;

“…being in the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one’s sense of space and time.”

Personally, I’ve experienced flow or “being in the zone” on many, many occasions – occasionally even to a point of excess.

For instance, at work I often find myself in a flow state. I become so involved in some project and get such enjoyment and pleasure from doing it that I can completely lose track of time. I eventually come out of this flow bubble only to realize that the whole day has passed without me even realizing it.

I have also had to learn how to control myself when I enter a flow state.

For example, reading seems to be a particular challenge for me. I realized this was an issue a number of years back. I had taken the day off from work to do some errands and get some things done around the house. After I got the kids off to school I thought I would just sit down and read a bit. I got so engrossed in the book that I ended up doing nothing else that day but reading. When the kids got home from school, they found me in the same place where they had left me, blurry eyed, book in hand and I’m not sure if I even ate that day never mind even get anything else I had planned done.

In a video created by James Taylor, he suggests that being in a flow state is actually something that helps us to experience happiness as it is something that we enjoy so much that we can completely dismiss anything else around us.

To help someone actually experience a flow state, he recommends the following elements are necessary;

The activity has to be something of your own choosing. It has to be something that we want to do so that we can govern our time
The activity that you select needs to be not too challenging so that it will burn you out but challenging enough that you won’t get bored
You also need to have a clear objective as to why you are doing this activity
You should also have an activity that allows you to get some feedback. This could either be intrinsically or extrinsically

We have shared a number of different articles on the transition to retirement and how difficult it can be for someone if they don’t have anything planned to do with these extra years that they potentially have been given.

So when it comes to your retirement, what will you be doing that will allow you to get you into this flow state?

If you’re not sure, maybe consider the times you found yourself “in the zone” in the past.

What were doing?
Were you with others or by yourself?
Were you being creative?
Were you doing something that physically or mentally challenged you?
What made the time just fly by as you found yourself fully immersed in the activity?

Maybe by looking back at our past times spent in a flow state, we might actually unlock our future focus.

Here is James Taylor’s video on achieving flow:

"},{"id":"d605d98d-c91e-4c32-bdc7-664b61622eef","kind":"video","video":{"type":"video","source":"youtube","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4AyvpFtixk","caption_html":null,"credit":null,"provider":"youtube","caption_text":null,"is_tracking_enabled":false,"video_id":"v4AyvpFtixk","monetized":false,"embed_url":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/v4AyvpFtixk","thumbnail_url":"https://img.youtube.com/vi_webp/v4AyvpFtixk/hqdefault.webp"}}],"locale":"en","visual":{"type":"image","url":"https://assets.boomingencore.omerloclients.com/2d5ebaa0944a587d2b8e696376b28f727615027a5e6c7d2989f7f77efb5cef34.jpg?","caption_html":null,"credit":null,"gravity":"center","caption_text":null},"lead_html":"Have you ever experienced "flow state" in your life? It's a powerful state of mind and something that you may want to consider on how you could achieve this into your retirement life.","subtitle_html":null,"title_html":"Finding Your Flow In Retirement","author_ids":["02f24fa6-c7a7-48fd-992e-c189d38cbec7"],"lead_text":"Have you ever experienced \"flow state\" in your life? It's a powerful state of mind and something that you may want to consider on how you could achieve this into your retirement life.","seo":{"description":null,"title":null},"subtitle_text":null,"title_text":"Finding Your Flow In Retirement"},"_links":{"template":"/api/public/docs/v2/templates/73046548-86ec-431a-aca0-75b53bc936f3","_self":"/api/public/docs/v2/contents/83088b76-2044-48dc-88ac-c34a620df718"},"canonical_domain":"boomingencore.com","published_at":"2024-06-01T00:00:00Z","category_ids":[],"visibility":null,"canonical_url":null,"show_published_at":false},"assocs":{"categories":{"1515aa8b-b46d-4cbf-8635-ecbddf1f34e2":{"id":"1515aa8b-b46d-4cbf-8635-ecbddf1f34e2","updated_at":"2024-03-06T16:55:39Z","localized":{"name":"CONTRIBUTORS","locale":"en"},"svg_icon":null}},"profiles":{"02f24fa6-c7a7-48fd-992e-c189d38cbec7":{"id":"02f24fa6-c7a7-48fd-992e-c189d38cbec7","kind":"person","updated_at":"2024-09-21T00:09:23Z","other_name":null,"localized":{"locale":"en","description_html":"

Susan Williams is the visionary founder of Booming Encore. With over 28 years of experience in corporate senior leadership and executive roles, she realized there was a significant gap in resources for those seeking a purposeful and healthy later life. Driven by her passion to make a difference, she decided that if she couldn't find it, she would create it and launched Booming Encore in 2013.

Since then, the Booming Encore has organically grown into a globally recognized authority on retirement, aging, and longevity. Susan’s commitment to empowering individuals is further reflected in her co-authorship of Retirement Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose? and her contributions to Longevity Lifestyle by Design.

An engaging speaker and advocate, Susan passionately shares the importance of all the aspects that can help people positively live, embrace and contribute in their later years. Today, she’s not just helping others create their own “booming encore”—she is actually living hers. Join her on this inspiring journey and also live your best booming encore!

","description_text":"Susan Williams is the visionary founder of Booming Encore. With over 28 years of experience in corporate senior leadership and executive roles, she realized there was a significant gap in resources for those seeking a purposeful and healthy later life. Driven by her passion to make a difference, she decided that if she couldn't find it, she would create it and launched Booming Encore in 2013.Since then, the Booming Encore has organically grown into a globally recognized authority on retirement, aging, and longevity. Susan’s commitment to empowering individuals is further reflected in her co-authorship of Retirement Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose? and her contributions to Longevity Lifestyle by Design.An engaging speaker and advocate, Susan passionately shares the importance of all the aspects that can help people positively live, embrace and contribute in their later years. Today, she’s not just helping others create their own “booming encore”—she is actually living hers. Join her on this inspiring journey and also live your best booming encore!","summary_html":"

Founder, Booming Encore

","summary_text":"Founder, Booming Encore"},"profile_type_id":"9822821d-c96a-4ece-a318-c42ca4715c88","first_name":"Susan","last_name":"Williams","pronoun":null,"avatar_image_url":"https://assets.boomingencore.omerloclients.com/community/ed43bb2b-6424-4ae7-b162-7f389c6f1f20.jpg?"}}}}