It is normal to assign quasi-esoteric powers to those who achieve great feats, by either scoring 11 three-point shots in an NBA game or the mural that adorns the walls and ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. We could talk about divine inspiration, talented bodies with supernatural abilities that allow their bearers to achieve the impossible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although they have extensive knowledge of their trades and mastery of their skills, extraordinary moments are achieved when the state<\/strong> of flow<\/strong> is achieved. <\/em>This concept, belonging to positive psychology, coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, responds to the state of maximum concentration in which time stops and actions flow effortlessly.<\/strong> This state has been described with other words in other cultures and refers to the mental disposition that exists at a time when peak performance is reached in whatever activity is exercised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When we describe the state of flow, it certainly seems to be more of an esoteric matter than a physical issue, but, fortunately, science has set out to prove and understand what happens in our brain when this creative ecstasy is reached. First of all, the myth that we only use 10% of our mind and that we can only achieve extraordinary results by expanding our capacity to 100%, has been dismantled. Flow is achieved when our frontal lobe temporarily turns off in an energy exchange to reach maximum concentration.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the characteristics described by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly in countless interviews is the altered perception of time. This is explained by the fact that temporariness occurs in the frontal lobe and, when temporarily \u201cextinguished,\u201d the fears of the past and the anxiety of the future fade away and the certainty of being able to achieve the desired goal appears. This phenomenon also explains why the feeling of \u201cgetting lost\u201d in the activity happens, since the ego \u2014 our ego \u2014 operates in the frontal lobe as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When we achieve the state of flow\u2014 and I refer to achieving it because it is universal and can happen to anyone \u2014 we reach a state of concentration such that everything around us disappears and the only thing that exists is the task at hand. To be able to achieve it, the activity has to be within the realm of our possibilities, i.e. the talent or the ability to carry out the activity successfully must pre-exist. We cannot pretend to paint like Dal\u00ed without knowing anything about visual arts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The results obtained after passing through the flow state are unmistakable. The performance is very high and the feeling of ecstasy and satisfaction are unique to this experience. One of Mihaly Csikszentmihaly\u2019s findings was that experiencing the flow state is <\/strong>key<\/strong> to the happiness of individuals.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n