After watching #PixarSoul, what really is “being in the zone”? Definitions – A mental state of focused concentration on the performance of an activity, in which one dissociates oneself from distracting or irrelevant aspects of one’s environment. In psychology, a flow state, is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. A tunnel-vision phenomenon reported by athletes, creatives, and psychologists alike as a hyper-focused, sometimes spiritual, state of mind where anything is possible. It’s where we become our most productive, creative, and powerful selves. In his autobiography, Second Wind,…

“Read 500 pages…every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.” – Warren Buffett *** “I insist on a lot of time being spent, almost every day, to just sit and think,” Mr. Buffet said. He continued: “That is very uncommon in American business. I read and think. So I do more reading and thinking, and make less impulse decisions than most people in business.” “On the other hand, you have the possibility to read at least 30 pages every day.” By setting this more modest goal and sticking to it,…

“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.” – Steve Jobs “The above statement outlines the importance of setting fresh goals to make sure that you keep up the momentum in your career. If you get distracted by your current achievements, you might lose sight of exciting opportunities and long-term ambitions. Jobs certainly never let the dust settle on his achievements. He had already achieved fame and wealth by 1977, just a year after co-founding Apple. He then continued to seek out and develop new ideas,…

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Apparently, it took around 870 years. That involved a lot of persistence and patience! If we want something to be around for a long time, then we must accept that its creation must be a gradual process. *** Persistence – a key element in the development of expertise. “Keep practicing no matter what. It will take years, you know this, so you have to keep practicing. You have to keep practicing getting better every time you practice. This is a very hard thing to do. You will get tired, bored, and frustrated. It is hard to keep your focus while practicing. I heard a…