Coming Alive
Here are some other techniques people use to access and maintain the zone:
- Introducing a long delay between when you do the work and when it is shown to the world. Annie Ernaux writes about this in A Simple Passion, a memoir about how she becomes obsessed in a banal way with a man who is having an affair with her—the thought that others will read th
Substack • Notes | Substack
She doesn’t get bogged down assigning responsibility. Her job is to exercise creative vigilance, always scanning her world for opportunities for play, humor, beauty, and art, even in the midst of “impossible” situations.
Frank Forencich • The Art is Long: Big Health and the New Warrior Activist
The purpose of describing, say, your professional life or your family traditions as a game is twofold. You instantly shift the context from one of survival to one of opportunity for growth. You also have the choice of imagining other games you might prefer to play in these realms. Naming your activities as a game breaks their hold on you and puts y
... See moreBenjamin Zander • The Art of Possibility
The Tool in Brief 1. Focus on the pain you’re avoiding; see it appear in front of you as a cloud. Silently scream, “Bring it on!” to demand the pain; you want it because it has great value. 2. Scream silently, “I love pain!” as you keep moving forward. Move so deeply into the pain you’re at one with it. 3. Feel the cloud spit you out and close behi
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