peak perormance

Motivation is frequently linked to optimism and positivity. The 1952 classic and bestseller ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ by the Reverend Norman Vincent Peale, was translated into 15 languages and to date has sold more than 7million copies. It is still very popular today.

Positive thinking dominates the fields of self-help and human performance, from images with inspirational quotations (the sort that I frequently share on social media) to the use of tried and tested mental performance tools such as positive self-talk and visualizing success.

To be clear, these tools are not used by hippies in fields of flowers living a vegan, organic lifestyle, but by Olympians, special forces operators and other elite performers, as well as being a management tool used by many Fortune 500 companies.

In ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’, Nobel Prize-winner Daniel Kahneman described optimism as the “engine of capitalism” stating that:

“Optimistic individuals play a disproportionate role in shaping our lives. Their decisions make a difference; they are the inventors, the entrepreneurs, the political and military leaders — not average people.”

Professor Martin Seligman, former President of the American Psychological Association and credited as being the ‘father of Positive Psychology has repeatedly demonstrated that optimism promotes both resilience and persistence.

Seligman consulted with the Pentagon on the development of the military’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, which sought to assess and enhance soldiers’ ability to cope with all of life’s challenges, including the mental rigors of combat.

The authors (one a retired Navy SEAL) of ‘Stronger: Develop the Resilience You Need to Succeed’ identify active optimism as the leading factor in personal resilience—the ability to tolerate stress, see opportunities in adversity, and keep pushing forward.

So it’s clear; being opimistic and focusing on the positive increases motivation, resilience and achievement. However…

The Downside of Being Upbeat

Over the past few years researchers, neuroscientists and psychologists have begun to demonstrate that focusing on the positive can be detrimental to motivation and achievement.

New York University psychology professor and author of ‘Rethinking Positive Thinking’ Gabriele Oettingen, persuasively contends that visualizing a successful outcome can make people less likely to achieve it.

Researchers have also found that people in a negative mood develop more persuasive arguments than people in a positive mood, and that negative moods can improve memory.

Perhaps this is why so many lawyers are negative and suffer from disproportionately high levels of depression than other professions. Although never suffering from depression, as a Barrister practising at the Bar of England and Wales for 14 years (arguing cases rather than making coffee), I certainly spent much of my career focusing on the negative.

Denial can also be a consequence of positive thinking. Barbara Ehrenreich, journalist and author of ‘Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America’, argues that the 2008 economic crisis was partly a result of people’s refusal to consider negative outcomes, like mortgage defaults.

The Upside of Focusing on the Negative

Focusing on the negative can have two distinct benefits. The first is the avoidance of denial and enabling of more effective planning. The second benefit is that negative emotions, possibly triggered by painful memories, can fuel determination and action.

One effective technique for utilising the power of negative focus is that of the premortem. Here you imagine things have gone wrong before they have and then analyse all of the reasons you might have failed.

Brad Stulberg, author of ‘Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout’ and Thrive With the New Science of Success’ explains

“It may seem like the negative thinking inherent to a premortem would work against self-belief and confidence. But if anything, it actually works toward it. When you force yourself to become aware of all that could go wrong, you become more likely to take the necessary steps to ensure that things go right.”

Using the Dark Side as Motivation

Elite performers will frequently access their painful memories, dark thoughts and negative emotions to fuel their motivation during extreme challlenges.

Robert Wicks, psychologist and author of the book ‘Bounce: Living the Resilient Life’, talks of the angry resolve frustrated athletes feel as “sweet disgust”. This refers to the determination to fight back which goes hand in hand, in this context, with anger.

Tim Grover, coach to legends such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and author of the compelling ‘Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable’ refers to controlled anger being a deadly weapon that

“can ignite our competitive intensity, laser focus, and a relentless craving to attack and conquer.”

Retired Navy SEAL and ultra-marathon runner, David Goggins, described as ‘the hardest man alive’ uses his difficult experiences to fuel his motivation as well as thinking some very dark thoughts. His achievements are truly remarkable. Watch this interview with him and you’ll immediately understand what I mean.

Last week I had the privilege of interviewing Ret Navy SEAL Commander, Alden Mills, for my podcast show. In addition to having operated in the SEALS, Mills also overcame asthma, going on to win a gold medal for rowing, went on to lead his first company to $90 million in sales in just three years and authored the excellent ‘Be Unstoppable: The 8 Essential Actions to Succeed at Anything’.

During the interview Mills describes how, in times of challenge, he would intensely visualize himself failing and the attendant painful consequences of doing so. These negative visualizations would help propel him forward to crush the obstacle or challenge.

Key Takeaways

Mental performance techniques and strategies that focus on positivity and active optimism can be powerful solutions for increasing motivation and action.

For some people, in some contexts, positive thinking can undermine motivation and achievement.

Anger, painful memories or future visualizations of negative outcomes can be very powerful tools for increasing motivation and driving performance, particularly when facing extreme challenges.

One size does not fit all. Which strategy works will depend on who you are, what is going on in your life at the time and what challenge you are facing.

When was the last time you were so focused on producing great work that you lost track of time?

Athletes call this mental state being in ‘the Zone’ or the ‘sweet spot’; psychologists call it “flow” or a peak state.

Being in a state of flow is when we produce our best work and perform way above and beyond our normal levels of productivity and effectiveness. Being in flow facilitates greater job satisfaction and job performance. It’s an experience we’ve had but mostly don’t know how and why it occurred.

In flow we are fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, being present with full involvement and engagement in what we are doing. The ability to get in to a state of flow makes the difference between an average day and a great one.

In a state of flow we make new connections and insights, achieve breakthroughs and push the limits of what is possible for us and sometimes, for the human race. It is flow which enables many athletes break new record (for more on this aspect see ’Flow in Sports‘ by Susan Jackson and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and ‘The Rise of Superman’ by Steven Kotler).

The benefits of flow are not, however, exclusively for world-class athletes. Business leaders and companies are exploring the uses of flow states in the work place. A McKinsey study found that top executives in a state of flow are five times more productive then when not. The implications of this study against the backdrop of the remarkable achievements by athletes in flow are staggering.

From 6BC to the Present

Flow is not a new concept and has existed for thousands of years under other guises, across the world. Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher, described flow as the art of “doing without doing” or “trying without trying.”

The Yerkes–Dodson law was identified in 1908 by psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson. The law states that performance increases with physiological or mental arousal, but only up to a point. When the level of arousal is too high, an individual’s performance decreases. The Yerkes–Dodson law is demonstrated by the following diagram

The actual term flow was first coined by Hungarian Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Csikszentmihályi described flow as completely focused motivation. The key characteristic of flow is deep focus on nothing but the activity; not even oneself or one’s emotions. This engagement can provide a sense of deep joy, albeit there is often a degree of frustration en route.

Csíkszentmihályi identified six factors as encompassing an experience of flow.

1. Intense and focused concentration.
2. Merging of action and awareness.
3. A loss of reflective self-consciousness.
4. A sense of personal control or agency over the situation or activity.
5. Ones experience of time is altered.
6. The activity is intrinsically rewarding.

Flow is the sweet spot between boredom and anxiety. The challenge or piece of work must not be too hard, but not too easy. The objective is to keep learning and creating with a degree of frustration, but not too much. Flow occurs when you find the perfect balance between these two extremes.

The Flow Model

In 1987, Massimini, Carli and Csíkszentmihályi published their model of flow. The model depicts the range of experience that result from differing levels of challenges. Flow is more likely to occur when the activity at hand is a higher-than-average challenge (above the center point) and the individual has above-average skills (to the right of the center point). The center of this graph represents average levels of challenge across all activities that an individual performs on a daily basis

Creating the Conditions for Achieving a State of Flow

We now know that being in a flow state is not random but is a state of ultimate performance that we can consciously activate.

In order to achieve flow, Csikszentmihály contends that the following three conditions must be met:

1. Goals are clear.
2. Feedback is immediate.
3. There is a balance between opportunity and capacity.

While achieving the highest levels of a flow state requires an analysis of the individuals circumstances, abilities, experiences, environment and objectives, taking the following steps will help cultivate the conditions for achieving a state of flow.

1. Set a Clear Goal. The goal must something you can achieve within your ‘flow session’ and must be difficult enough to challenge you, but not so difficult that you feel overwhelmed. This is not as easy as it seems, as make the goal too easy and you will not be sufficiently engaged, make it too hard and you will experience frustration and overwhelm.

2. Identify Your Optimum Time. Everyone has a time they produce their best work. In my twenties I seemed to produce my best work at 2am. Nowadays its around 5.30-8am. Your optimum time for achieving a state of flow will be influenced by a range of factors including family commitments, distractions at work, circadian rhythms’ and energy levels. Keep a diary or journal for a couple of weeks and you’ll be able to identify your highs and lows.

3.Create the right Environment. Our environment can significantly impact our performance. Clear the clutter and make your conditions as supportive for great work as is possible e.g. comfortable seating, a clear desk and good lighting. Many (including myself) find natural or blue light in the daytime helpful for increasing focus, alertness and energy.

4. Eliminate Distractions. At the heart of flow is focus. Focus cannot coexist with distraction so turn off your mobile, shut down your email and all notifications, block out as much noise as possible and consider wearing noise canceling headphones. Clear your workspace of anything that might distract you e.g. unpaid bills or our outstanding tax return. Lastly, ensure no-one interrupts you until you have completed your task.

5. Get into the Right State. Emotions have a significant impact on your ability to get into flow. Give yourself a head start by feeling good and energized before you start. You can do this by a brisk walk around the block, some caffeine (but not too much) or playing some music that leaves your feeling inspired and raises your energy. Make sure you have plenty of water before and during your flow session and are not hungry as this will distract you.

While there are advanced tools and strategies that will enable you to achieve the highest levels of flow, following the 5 steps above will, with practice, persistence and consistency, enable you to enter the flow zone and achieve new levels of performance and productivity.

A word of caution. It is not possible to be in a state of flow all the time. Flow is addictive and like most things in life, you can have too much of a good thing. A recovery period is essential. Attaining a state of flow on a regular basis is, however, quite possibly the most significant step we can take to achieving greater productivity, effectiveness and happiness.

Martin Soorjoo works with individuals and teams to increase their Performance, Productivity and Resilience.

How to Harness Fear, Failure and Frustration to Dramatically Increase Motivation

How to ‘Flow’ More and Stress Less