Recently I've been reading a book called The Rise of Superman by Steven Kotler. I wasn't really expecting much, especially with his tendency to put adventure and extreme athletes on this high pedestal, but as I kept reading the book, he actually started going into some basic neuroscience principles describing the how and why and what happens when people "get into the zone" or "the flow".
This book has given me a couple insights into myself that I find intrinsically rewarding. The first is that this is the whole reason why I love sports. I do enjoy winning/achieving something, yes, but more than that, I love the act of dropping down into a "flow" or "rhythm" where every particle of your being is completely focused and you have no fear, no worries, no sense of time, and you know that you will not make a single wrong decision. It's an incredible feeling.
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| Throwback photo to the Team Mayfield ascent |
Last month on Mt. Whitney, we had to trek an extra three miles just to get to the trailhead for the base of the mountain. We started in a big group, but then people started to peel off and we split into groups based on the pace we wanted to set. I am (or at least I WAS) in pretty good shape, so me and two other guys broke trail through all the snow and then waited at a difficult portion to help the rest of the group through.
When the group caught up, I got to talking with one guy who was discouraged that the mountain looked so far away (when he said this, I looked up at the mountain and realized that he was right but I hadn't noticed before, it kinda surprised me actually). He asked me how I could keep up a fast pace despite the fact that it was so discouraging. Honestly, I didn't know what to say. Obviously being in shape helps, but I told him that I don't really think about the end goal, I just take care of things as they come along, and eventually I get to the top of the mountain.
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| The tallest mountain in the top middle is Whitney! |
Looking back on that conversation now, I've realized that what I said was only partially true. But what I just described can sound like suffering an arduous task. Just put your head down and enjoy the pain right? Because, yes, I was in pain. I'm pretty sure most people going at the pace we were would be!
What I realized, however, was that I loved the pain. But not in a masochist sort of way. It was more that I was in the zone. I was focused so sharply and was so aware of every step, every rock, and all the snow, that there was no way I couldn't love what I was doing.
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| The route we took is where you see the three guys headed up, just a big snow gulley to the top. |
Turns out, moments like those are comparable to Franciscan monks feeling at one with God's love and Buddhist monks feeling at one with the universe.
Now, I don't know about the spiritual aspect of it, but I do know that in those moments, your brain releases a cocktail of dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins, anandamide, and serotonin. All of those naturally occurring chemicals released in your brain are more potent than any drug on the market right now. But the amazing thing about them is that, while illicit drugs destroy our lives, these chemicals released in us, at the right times according to correct stimulation, build us into happy, more confident, and more successful people! That's pretty neat huh?
So people ask me why I like to do hard things, and I, in turn, wonder why people don't like to do hard things. Apparently, waking up at 3 in the morning for a mountaineering trip is not only good for the soul, but it's good for our brain and our general well being.
With all of that, I'd like to also say that it doesn't take sports and adventuring to get into this zone. It comes when each of us commits to doing a task that is demanding and challenges us. When we rise to that occasion, it's possible for everyone to tap into this. Try finding out what gets you into the "flow". I promise you'll loooooooooove it.
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