The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance

by Steven Kotler

There is an extremely tight link between our visual system and our physiology: once we can actually see ourselves doing the impossible, our chances of pulling it off increase significantly.”

neuroscientists found no difference between performing an action and merely imagining oneself performing that action—the same neuronal circuits fire in either case.

Since the first stage of the flow cycle—the struggle stage—involves exactly this learning process, visualization is an essential flow hack: it shortens struggle.

learning the impossible is possible augments our ability to see ourselves doing the impossible, which triggers a systemic change in the body and the brain, which closes the gap between fantasy and reality.

space diving could be the next extreme sport frontier. It sounds silly, of course, but it wasn’t too long ago that surfing a 100-foot wave or free-soloing Half Dome was equally ludicrous.

Our imaginations will have to be deeply engaged; our creative selves operating at their full Picasso. In other words, if we’re interested in forging a future of abundance, then we’re going to need flow.

He found a number of factors contribute to longevity, but one stood out far above the rest: the ability to learn faster.

Flow, they tell us, is the gateway to impossible, but this has never been take two pills and climb Everest in the morning. Committing to this path demands a radical restructuring of our days and our ways.

We must learn how to play with fire. We must learn to learn faster. We must learn to live thousands of lives in our lifetime—and not lives of quiet desperation, rather of raucous innovation (though naked spread-eagles are optional).