Have you ever trained for a marathon?

Over 13 years ago I trained for a 100K walk for OXFAM.

For months leading up to it I had to adjust my sleeping, eating and physical training habits so that I would be able to do it!

It’s funny how as humans we completely GET that if we have a physical challenge, triathlon, or marathon we need to train to get ready for it.

We would never dream of thinking that we could just show up on the day and take on that physical challenge with no preparation.

It’s the same for mental performance.

If as leaders we want to be in a peak state to be at our best, we need to train our minds to be in an optimal state to handle new challenges.

To cultivate the mindset to go the distance as a leader.

It takes training behind the scenes when no one is watching.

It’s refining your mind so that you develop robust psychological processes that support you and induce flow.

By now, you would have already become familiar with the power of FLOW.

Flow is a peak performance state that makes successful action effortless.

For many, it happens by accident when you’re absorbed in a task you love.

However, high-performing leaders learn how to induce flow and train their minds to access that state when they need it.

According to a study by The Flow Genome Project, executives who report being in FLOW at work are:

• Five times more productive 25% more likely to be happy with their work

• 23% more likely to be loyal to their organization

• 46% more likely to be satisfied with their work

• 37% more likely to report a positive work-life balance

These statistics highlight the significant benefits that flow can have for leaders in terms of productivity, performance, and well-being.

Cultivating your mind to be able to stay in flow states for even longer periods of time, is equivalent to training for a marathon so that you can run for longer periods of time.

Experiencing FLOW will also:

• Reduce your negative self-talk.

• Leave you with more “feel-good” hormones like serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin in your body.

• Reduce overwhelm

• Accelerate your mental processing and optimal decision-making speed

What’s one thing you could do this week to start sharpening your mind and getting yourself into FLOW states for longer periods of time?