“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times . . . The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile”
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).
I was never that successful in sailing, no world championships or even national; but one does pick up trinkets and meet some top people. For what it's worth here's what I learned.
Some tips.
The game is never over till the finish line is crossed. Don't relax until that confirmation.
Think professionally. Professionals do what they don't like as good as what they do like.
Do the basics well, Learn what basics are.
Have routines and keep developing them
The answers are all around you
Go after small gains.
The victory of defeat can be preferred to the truth of victory.
Have a plan, always have a plan.
Beware of making big changes after a setback
Always upgrade skills, especially when blocked!
The performance flow chart
“Csikszentmihalyi observed that many people were unable to live a life of contentment after their jobs, homes, and security were lost during the war. After the war, he took an interest in art, philosophy, and religion as a way to answer the question, What creates a life worth living?”
Csikszentmihalyi describes eight characteristics of flow:
- Complete concentration on the task;
- Clarity of goals and reward in mind and immediate feedback;
- Transformation of time (speeding up/slowing down);
- The experience is intrinsically rewarding;
- Effortlessness and ease;
- There is a balance between challenge and skills;
- Actions and awareness are merged, losing self-conscious rumination;
- There is a feeling of control over the task.
Upgrade those skills
"Flow is experienced when one’s skill level and the difficulty of the challenge at hand loosely match. For instance, those with greater skills are likely to experience flow on a task of greater difficulty than those with poorer skills. This “match” is what inspires flow."