"La compétition est un moyen facile d'éprouver le flux mais c'est une astuce bon marché"

Competition is one of those things that gets our juices flowing, right? It’s thrilling, intense, and it can make us feel alive. The idea here is pretty simple: when you’re competing, you’re so engrossed in the moment that everything else fades away. This feeling, often called “flow,” is that perfect state of mind where you're fully immersed in what you're doing. You’re not worried about anything else, just the task at hand.

Historically, humans have always been drawn to competition. Think about ancient gladiatorial games, the Olympics, or even kids racing each other in the park. It's been a part of our DNA. But here's a kicker — while competition easily pushes us into that flow state, it’s a bit of a shortcut. You’re relying on external factors, like winning or outperforming others, to get there. Imagine you’re a gamer, and every time you want that rush, you need to beat someone. What happens when there's no one to compete with or when you lose? The trick is finding ways to experience flow without the crutch of competition.

To see this in action, let's talk about a real-life scenario. Take Sarah, a graphic designer. She loves participating in design contests because the thrill of winning gets her into that flow state. She’s at her best, losing track of time, and producing amazing work. But then, there’s a dry spell. Fewer contests, more solo projects, and suddenly, she’s struggling to find that same level of engagement and creativity without the competitive edge driving her.

So, what’s the advice here? Try to discover what elements of competition get you into flow. Is it the challenge? The clear goals? The immediate feedback? Once you figure that out, you can recreate those aspects in non-competitive scenarios. For Sarah, it meant setting personal challenges — creating a new design every week or mimicking the structure of contests but just for herself. She even started sharing her progress with a community online to keep the feedback loop going.

Let’s bring this to life with a story. Imagine you’re in a small town where the annual pie contest is a big deal. You’ve been winning for years, and that competition day is like magic. You’re baking, tasting, and perfecting your recipe, totally lost in the process. But one year, there’s no contest. At first, you’re disappointed, maybe even a bit lost. Then, you decide to host a pie night — inviting friends and family to taste and judge your creations. You set your own standards, maybe even try new recipes every week. The joy, the engagement — it’s all there without the formal competition.

So, next time you find yourself leaning on competition to get into the zone, take a step back. Think about the core elements that really drive you and try to incorporate those into other areas of your life. You might find that the flow state isn’t as elusive as you thought.