Flow State Isn’t Woo—It’s Wired Into You
Have you ever been so deeply engrossed in something — writing, painting, coding, dancing, even cleaning — that time seemed to vanish? Maybe you forgot to eat, or didn’t realize the sun had set, or suddenly looked up and thought, Whoa. I feel amazing.
That’s not just a good day.
That’s you tapping into flow — and it might be the most powerful, creative, and fulfilling state you’re not intentionally cultivating (yet).
Let’s fix that.
What Is Flow?
Flow is a term coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced Mee-high Cheek-sent-me-high-ee) in the 1970s. After interviewing thousands of people — from artists and athletes to surgeons and CEOs — he noticed a common thread in their descriptions of peak performance and deep satisfaction:
“Flow is the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. The experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”
It’s that feeling of being totally in it — where your mind, body, and spirit align, and you become one with the moment.
When you're in flow:
Time distorts — it flies or slows down
Your sense of self fades — not in a scary way, but in a freeing way
You feel deeply focused, energized, and present
You're often doing your best work without even “trying”
It’s not magic. It’s not reserved for monks or geniuses or professional athletes.
It’s available to all of us.
What Does Flow Look Like?
It’s easy to think of flow as something exclusive to creatives or elite performers, but it shows up in the most ordinary (and extraordinary) corners of daily life.
At Work:
You’re writing code, solving a complex puzzle, deep in strategy — and ideas are clicking faster than you can write them down. You’re not overthinking. You’re executing with clarity.
In Creative Expression:
You’re painting or journaling or building a spreadsheet that somehow feels like art. You’re not judging yourself. The inner critic is silent. There’s just a quiet hum of “yes, this.”
In Love + Connection:
You’re deep in conversation — no phones, no distractions. Just that click of resonance. Words flow easily, laughter comes quickly, and it feels like you’re both being carried by something deeper.
In all these moments, you're not forcing life. You're flowing with it.
You're not trying harder — you're tuning in.
Why It Feels So Good
There’s real science behind the bliss. In flow state, your brain releases a potent mix of neurochemicals:
Dopamine (motivation and reward)
Norepinephrine (focus and energy)
Endorphins (pleasure and pain relief)
Anandamide (bliss and lateral thinking)
It’s your brain's version of high-performance bliss.
Flow is essentially your biology saying, “Yes! More of this, please.”
And beyond the chemistry, flow satisfies something deeper — a longing to feel on-purpose, connected, alive, and enough.
Flow Is Coherence in Motion
Here’s where it connects to something I talk about a lot in my coaching: coherence.
When your heart, brain, and nervous system are in harmony, you're more creative, more present, more you. Flow is what happens when coherence meets challenge, and you rise to meet it — not from fear or force, but from alignment.
Flow is coherence in motion.
Flow is creativity unleashed.
It's not a hustle. It’s a hum.
If you’re burned out, stuck in overthinking, or trying to logic your way into inspiration — you’re not alone. Most of us were trained to push through instead of tune in.
But here's the truth:
✨ You don't have to force clarity.
✨ You don’t have to earn inspiration through suffering.
✨ You can learn how to enter flow — and stay there more often.
Flow is not a luxury. It’s a compass. And it’s pointing you toward your most fulfilling work, your most honest connections, and your most inspired life.
Want to Play with Flow?
Start here:
Think back to a time you felt “in the zone.”
What were you doing? What were the conditions that helped you get there?
What would it look like to create just one hour like that in your week ahead?
Next time, I’ll share some of the tools I use with clients to help them intentionally enter flow — even during “boring” workdays.
Because flow isn’t just something that happens to you.
It’s something you can learn to cultivate.
And when you do?
Force starts to fall away. And fulfillment takes its place.
