Owning Your Peak Experience
Take a moment away from the peak experience to fully notice it, name it, and take ownership of the feeling you’ve experienced so that you can call upon it again.
Energy has been a big focus for much of the second half of this year—a search for what gives me more energy throughout my day, and, better yet, that sense of flow or losing myself in an activity.
Deep focus plus deep engagement, and a desire for that to be more of a default state than something found by chance.
Energy Preservation vs Generation
I wrote about energy (and losing it) in an earlier post that outlined some lifestyle changes I’ve made and the impact they’ve had on energy.
What I’ve come to realize is these changes aren't necessarily about gaining energy; but instead, they ensure that I'm not losing it.
Not drinking alcohol doesn't give me energy; rather, by not drinking, I get better sleep, make better food choices, and get more exercise, allowing me to retain more of the energy I already have.
Where I’m starting to focus my attention now is on energy generation—doing things that light me up, induce flow states, and give a feeling of being locked in. A higher vibration.
Purpose in Work Helping Others
For me, these states happen most often when I’m engaged with someone one-on-one or with a small group, serving as a coach, mentor, or guide. When I help them work through a problem or personal challenge, or work towards a goal or personal or career aspiration.
I’m so lucky in that this is a big role I get to play at work.
In a very meta sense, my purpose, as I’ve come to know it, and what gives me the most energy, is directly related to helping other people uncover what gives them energy and a sense of purpose.
When I’m engaged in this way, I’m locked in, don’t notice the normal distractions of work, and feel switched on like I’ve recently had an espresso.
I ask those I’m working with something similar - when do you lose track of time? What are you doing when you feel flow? How do you bring that on?
A few weeks ago, I was asked to speak virtually to a large part of my organization—over 200 people—as a part of a values workshop about my own personal values and how they shape my life.
This was WAY out of my comfort zone. As I said, one-on-one or small groups are my green zone.
I may share my full presentation here in a future post, but the crux of the message was that values help one identify purpose, and that the search for values and purpose is so worth the journey inward. I encouraged everyone not to waste the opportunity for introspection this workshop afforded, and to make time in the following days to be alone and reflect on what gives them energy and when they themselves get lost in the moment.
Here are a few questions I challenged the audience to reflect on:
“I feel like___”
“I get energy from ___”
“I get lost in the moment when ___”
“Time melts away when ___”
New Board Game: Name That Peak Experience!
Right after the presentation ended, I had to jump on a call with my coach, Fiona, that had been pre-scheduled but fell at exactly the right time.
The universe conspiring for sure.
I was excited to tell her about what had just happened, and after my long-rambling recount of the presentation and how I went about preparing for it, she smiled and asked me to do something I did not expect.
“I want you to close your eyes and tell me what you are feeling right now, and where you feel it.”
Pure energy. A vibration. Right in the middle of my chest.
“Good. Keep your eyes closed and feel that energy. Everything about it. You’re going to remember this feeling because it is yours now. You own it. And you can now recall it when you need it.”
Making This Stick and Passing It On
I’m now trying to pay more attention to these types of peak moments and experiences when they happen so I’m able to fully notice and take ownership of the resulting feelings. I also have more insights into what I can and should be doing to bring them about more often.
I’ve shared that story with a few others now and wanted to share it here in hopes that it inspires you to find and name your own version of those moments that light you up.
I hope this was helpful, and I’m going to keep digging on this topic and will be sharing some additional thoughts down the road.
Some Resources to Check Out
Modern Wisdom Podcast - I just happened to be listening to this episode of the Modern Wisdom podcast with guest Dr. Andrew Huberman, when he outlined something very similar on peak (and valley) experiences1.
Sparketype - The book Sparked: Discover Your Unique Imprint for Work that Makes You Come Alive by Jonathan Fields and the related Sparketype Test gave me a headstart on values and purpose a few years ago. It helped me see the Advisor role I love to play and how the Sage supports that role. It also showed me why the Performer drains me so much.
I brought this exercise to my team last year and those that leaned in found it helpful as well, and some still reference their sparketypes with me.
Check out the quiz and get the resulting emails and if you’re inspired to learn more, get the book to go all in. I’ll also invite you to share your Primary, Secondary, and Anti sparketypes in the comments below if you are up for it.
Thanks for reading,
Paul
Move forward. Stay in the game.
The video should start at 2:25:25