Authored by: Swiing, LLC - The Sports and Fitness Network
For us, loyal fans, watching sports is as exhilarating as the participation we see from the athletes. When the W is awarded, we walk away with an intangible that can be relived again and again, especially between worthy opponents. We are fully invested in our favorite athletes and teams to witness their excellence, and we benefit from their moments of greatness for a lifetime.
Even if we don’t play, we are dedicated, and we follow and support our favorite athletes and teams until someone new comes along, and then we follow them — if we find them worthy of our loyalty. This obsession continues throughout our entire life. What we experience from watching their greatness is so emotionally real that we feel hurled into the game, and we carry such a sense of exhilaration that we discuss it years later. We recall again and again the highlights, best moments, and extraordinary plays because we want to keep experiencing that euphoric feeling. In those moments, we connect to their greatness, harness their excellence, and relive that exuberant state every time we recall it.
Live In Flow
What champion athletes display is the greatest of all human potential. Sports, by definition, is a physical activity involving wielding one’s competitive edge against another. Although we are entertained by the sport, there is something more profound and fascinating going on in the psychology behind a champion athlete’s excellence, which we all connect to and desire. Many psychologists, coaches, and motivators call this characteristic “zone” or “flow.” But as evading as the ability to operate in this state continually, its characteristics are even more abstract.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Management who founded the Quality of Life Research Center (QLRC) and authored the best-selling book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, probably best defined this characteristic in his famous quote; “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.” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1990). In his discovery, Mihaly observed that people find genuine satisfaction during a state of consciousness he coined “flow.”
Only Worthy Opponents are Respected
“There is no way around hard work. Embrace it. You have to put in the hours because there’s always something which you can improve.” — Roger Federer
Being in the zone, or flow, as Mihaly calls it, is quite attainable. Champion athletes know that to be great requires intense preparation and continual effort beyond the game. When we watch them perform, we can plainly see their greatness. But, we are not privy to the hours and years of practice and hard work they put into becoming great, like making natural laws work for them. How they submit to discipline; tame habit; force will; and one of the most powerful laws, command thought.
“As you think, so shall it be done unto you.”
How can we be sure that these laws will work for us? We only need to exhibit great faith. All of us have the ability to call into action natural laws to self-govern our behavior, and using natural law for good is the key to excellence in any field. However, no better arena can display this than sports. When a person practice and applies themselves continually at a higher level and for more extended periods than their opponents, they will assume rule over them — if they do not lose faith. It will become a predictable end and a place where only worthy opponents are respected.
Great Discipline develops Greater Habits
“If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren’t willing to do.” — Michael Phelps
Maintaining this extraordinary state in competition is fleeting, partially due to momentum shifts from one opponent to the other. However, when we prepare and train our mind and body to operate at this level, overcoming our opponent is inevitable. At some point, natural laws, like habits formed through great discipline, kick in and champion us to our greatness. Exercising these two laws alone prepares someone to do what others are unwilling to do; doing what others won’t do affords us an advantage over many in competition and showcases excellence among champions.
No Matter What, Always Get Back Up
“I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.” — Serena Williams
Living in flow or the zone is not automatic but operates within the determined effort of one’s will.
We can achieve a state of flow when we:
- Set a definite goal or purpose and work towards this goal daily.
- Detach from bad habits. Those moments when “you don’t feel like it” will stretch your abilities.
- Pursue this purpose with diligence. Be determined. Obstacles exist to keep out those unworthy.
- Exercising great discipline will develop greater habits.
- Never give up.
By being disciplined and developing good habits, we can learn to cheer ourselves on like the athletes we love and pick ourselves up again and again until we win. So, get out of the stands and go play!