431 | How to make speaking feel effortless: getting into a flow state

So first, I want to teach you what a flow state is.

So this is a term that was created by a very well-known psychologist.

His name is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

I'm going to link his work in the show notes in case you're curious to check him out.

He developed this idea of a flow state And I want to share a quote from him that really beautifully captures and explains what a flow state is.

So he said, flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake.

The ego falls away.

Time flies.

Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz.

Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost.

So in other words, what he's describing is a state where you're so absorbed and so present with what you're doing that everything just happens naturally, effortlessly, and organically.

And a flow state is something that can happen when you're speaking.

I think we often think of a flow state as something that athletes experience when they're playing on the field or that artists experience when they're making art.

But a flow state can happen when you're talking.

And in fact, the more that you can get into a flow state when you're talking, the more effective that your voice will be and the easier it's going to feel for you to express yourself.

Now, when you're not in a flow state, that's when you experience that sense of disconnection.

My best way of describing it and how it feels for me is it feels like my brain is My heart and my mouth are disconnected and it's really hard to access my thoughts and express them easily and speaking almost feels clunky.

Like it's very hard to translate the ideas into words and things keep on getting stuck in that process.

Now, a flow state when you're speaking feels the opposite way.

It's very easy to translate your ideas into words that you share out loud.

It feels like your brain and your heart and your voice are all connected and working in synchrony with one another.

And there's a sense of effortlessness.

You're not overthinking what to say.

You're just present in the moment expressing yourself.

And we've all experienced this, right? Like, you know, those moments where you're catching up with an old friend who you adore and you haven't seen in a while and you just have so much to discuss that the words are just like popping out of your mouth nonstop.