Have you ever been so immersed in something you love that time disappeared? Maybe while playing music, sketching a new idea, building something with your hands—or even just wandering in nature, totally focused and free. That feeling of energized ease, where you’re at your best and most creative, has a name.
It’s called Flow.
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and later peak performance expert Steven Kotler describe Flow as a state of optimal experience—where skill meets challenge, attention becomes laser-focused, and everything else fades away. It’s not just about productivity. It’s about passion, purpose, and possibility.
And for young Eco-Guardians in training, Flow isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.
Why Flow Matters Now
Let’s be honest: creating a regenerative future isn’t going to happen by accident. It requires creativity, resilience, and focus in the face of massive challenges. The kind of focus that can feel hard to find in a world full of distractions, burnout, and crisis fatigue. That’s why learning how to access Flow—especially during your most meaningful work—is one of the most powerful skills you can develop.
Flow isn’t just for athletes or artists. It’s for anyone ready to show up fully in their life and take meaningful action. It’s your eco-guardian superpower.
Flow is how young people like Boyan Slat envisioned removing plastic from the oceans and built The Ocean Cleanup. https://theoceancleanup.com/boyan-slat/ It’s how students across the world have launched school-wide zero-waste programs, started regenerative gardens, and turned grief for the planet into focused, inspired action.
The Four Ingredients of Flow (and the Science Behind It)
If you want to enter Flow more often, you’ll need to create the right conditions. Thankfully, research shows there are a few key elements that consistently show up. Steven Kotler, in his books The Rise of Superman and The Art of Impossible, describes Flow as a "state of consciousness where we feel and perform our best." He also identifies 22 flow triggers—conditions that optimize our access to this state.
Here are four foundational ones:
Clear Goals – You know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish. Goals direct your attention and create a target for your efforts.
Immediate Feedback – You can tell if you’re on track or need to adjust, creating a tight feedback loop that sustains engagement.
Challenge-Skill Balance – You're stretching yourself just beyond your current abilities—not too easy, not too hard. This sweet spot ignites curiosity and determination.
Focused Attention – You’re fully immersed. Distractions fall away. Neurobiologically, this often corresponds to what scientists call "transient hypofrontality"—a temporary down-regulation of the prefrontal cortex, which silences the inner critic and quiets self-doubt.
Kotler writes: “Flow is as close to magic as we get.” It enhances creativity, speeds up learning, and improves well-being. Athletes use it to break records. Innovators use it to solve problems. And young Eco-Guardians can use it to regenerate the future.
For younger readers: Flow is like a river. When you know where you’re headed, and you’re giving your full focus, you can ride the current with power and grace.
What Gets in the Way
Of course, life isn’t always flowing. Stress, self-doubt, and constant pings from our phones can all block us from entering this state. But here’s a secret: even those obstacles can become fuel. When you face a challenge that matters to you—and meet it with courage—you can flip the script.
That’s why so many young changemakers describe the moment they “came alive” as one filled with challenge and purpose. They weren’t waiting for perfect conditions. They showed up. They started. And Flow found them.
And it’s not just young changemakers. I experienced this myself in a deeply personal way. In 2021, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer—a jarring and unexpected moment that shook me to the core. But here’s what I’ve discovered in the four years since (as I now celebrate four years of good health as of June 1, 2025): that diagnosis became a powerful pivot point. It forced me to re-evaluate how I was living. I embraced a primarily plant-based diet, which not only supports my healing but is also gentler on the Earth. I prioritized self-care—especially sleep—and began paying deeper attention to my body’s rhythms.
The result? More Flow. In my writing. In my coaching. In how I show up each day with renewed energy and purpose. That moment of disruption became a gateway to alignment. Sometimes the biggest obstacles carry within them the seeds of our most aligned and fulfilling future.
Flow in Action
Zak, Ra-Kit, and Sampson’s First Eco-Adventure
Near the end of Dominion Over All, just after Zak realizes he and Angus have made a crucial mistake by traveling to New York instead of Brazil, the story hits its darkest moment. But instead of crumbling under the pressure, the Eco-Guardian team rises to meet the challenge—embodying the essence of Flow.
Ra-Kit and Sampson arrive just in time to help Zak course-correct. There's no blame, no time to wallow—only shared focus and purposeful movement. They quickly coordinate, with Ra-Kit using her magical abilities as they ‘warp’ their way to the correct location. Meanwhile, Sampson and Zak maintain their calm under high stakes.
Once in Brazil, obstacles continue to mount: unexpected resistance, time constraints, and the need to move through a riotous mass of disgruntled citizens. And yet, the team persist. Everyone is fully immersed, drawing on their unique strengths. Zak solicit help from the crowd while Ra-Kit makes her way back to the Spiritual Frontier to coordinate a last ditch effort. Sampson continues to provides strength and heart. Even the once-chaotic crowd rallies to help, inspired by the team’s unshakable resolve.
This is Flow in action—not the absence of difficulty, but graceful navigation through it. Each setback sharpens their focus rather than derailing them. They are “in the zone,” individually and together.
But Flow doesn’t just happen in fiction or fantasy. Around the world, real young people are doing the same.
Real-World Flow: Young Eco-Guardians in Action
Uganda: Solar Suitcase Pioneers
In Uganda, students working with the nonprofit We Share Solar experience Flow while building life-changing technology. These students assemble “solar suitcases”—portable, solar-powered kits that provide light and power to off-grid schools and clinics. The process demands concentration, teamwork, and technical skill.
These youth aren’t just following instructions; they’re solving real-world problems. They’re engaged in something meaningful and urgent—providing light to communities that often go dark when the sun sets. The pride and purpose that arise from seeing their work power a classroom or deliver safety during a birth is the essence of Flow.
Learn more: wesharesolar.org
Colombia: Restoring Land, Reclaiming Purpose
Fundación Tierra Grata empowers rural youth in Colombia to bring sustainability and dignity to their communities through eco-sanitation, solar power, and environmental education. In one project, teens apply agroecology and permaculture practices to restore degraded farmland.
They dig compost trenches, build raised beds, plant native species, and teach their neighbors about sustainable practices—all while reconnecting with the land and their own capacity to create change. With every seed planted and every workshop delivered, they’re tapping into purpose-driven Flow.
More on their work: tierragrata.org/
Which story resonated most—Zak’s fictional challenge, the Ugandan solar students, or the Colombian land restorers? Let’s keep the conversation going below.
The Pivot: Flow After Disappointment
Just a few days ago, I submitted a detailed book proposal for One Cause to a publisher I deeply admire. I spent weeks—months—crafting that vision. Less than 24 hours after submitting it, I received a thoughtful but firm rejection. It stung. I felt deflated for a moment, wondering: was it worth all the many hours and the effect?
But then I remembered something I’ve been learning over and over again: in moments like these, we have a choice. I chose to purposefully pivot.
I reread the publisher’s comments. I listened to what they saw clearly. And I got back to writing this very chapter—this one you’re reading now. Because Flow doesn’t always show up in the easy wins. Sometimes, it’s what we find after falling down and deciding to get up anyway.
Your Flow Challenge
So what about you?
When have you felt fully alive and focused? What project or purpose could pull you into that space again?
Start small:
Write or draw about your last Flow moment.
Choose one small project that excites you.
Eliminate distractions, set a clear goal, and give it your all.
You don’t have to change the world all at once. You just have to begin.
Flow into Community: A 4% Stretch
Here’s the truth: writing these articles is one thing. Inviting you into a shared journey? That’s something else entirely.
Lately, I’ve felt the nudge to create more opportunities for real conversation—with you, the reader. To open the door for this movement to become… well, a movement. And yet, just beneath that impulse lives a fear. The fear that I’ll put out the invitation and no one will show up. Or maybe worse—that people will show up, and I’ll have to lead the dance.
But here's what I know from Flow—and from the science of change: transformation doesn’t require a heroic leap. Just a stretch. Just 4% beyond your comfort zone.
That idea comes from peak performance researchers and thinkers like Brian Johnson, who highlights this principle in The Philosopher’s Notes and in his Optimize +1 wisdom series. It’s also woven through the work of Steven Kotler. Why 4%? Because it’s the optimal edge—enough challenge to grow, not so much that it triggers overwhelm. It’s the edge of Flow itself.
So here’s my 4% stretch: I’m planning a live, virtual conversation space—something like an online Earth Listening Circle, modeled after the one I recently hosted locally that brought together hearts and minds around the themes of One Cause. We’ll create space to reflect, share, and imagine regenerative futures together.
And I’m stretching in other ways too. My wife Ann and I are “right-sizing” our lives—transitioning to the downstairs level of our home, moving from a spacious four-bedroom, three-bath space to a much more compact one-bedroom, one-bath layout. We’re making room—literally—for our daughter, her husband, and our two young grandkids, Logan and Piper. We’re choosing community over convenience, simplicity over space. And yes, it’s definitely more than a 4% stretch… but that’s the nature of living into a new vision.
Now It’s Your Turn
Would you be willing to stretch with me? Not 100%, not even 10%. Just 4%.
Maybe that means:
RSVPing for this upcoming call.
Forwarding this article to a friend with a note: "This made me think of you."
Journaling your next Flow goal.
Sharing your reflections in the comments.
Whatever your stretch is, let it be real. Let it be yours. And let it move you closer to the world you want to help create.
Because the current is already flowing. We just have to say yes to riding it together.
What’s your 4% stretch right now? I’ll go first in the chat thread—would love to hear from you.
Coming Soon
In our next article, we’ll explore how Flow moves beyond an individual's superpower—and becomes a collective force. We’ll look at what happens when groups of people enter Flow together—especially when united by a shared purpose like healing the Earth. And as part of that next chapter, we’re also exploring a virtual Earth Listening Circle-style gathering later this summer. Think of it as a live experiment in Group Flow: a chance to step into community, share stories, and imagine what’s possible—together. Stay tuned for more details.
Let’s keep flowing forward.
P.S. In an effort to live true to the guiding principles within the Four Great Truths, here are a few photos.
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