The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance by Steven KotlerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow. Steven Kotler has written a devilishly useful book. The Rise of Superman is about extreme athletes, their extraordinary feats, and, most importantly, the state of mind in which they are most capable of doing the impossible. The pages erupt with the astonishing ventures of these flow-drenched specimens of athletic prowess. Yet, this is much more than a book about ultimate athletic performances.
I am mom of four grown kids, wife, and homemaker of a certain age. Oh, ok, I get my senior discounts. Truthfully (don’t cringe!), I had never heard of most of the extreme sports-wizards discussed in this book. I never, ever intend to do anything as remotely dangerous or daring as these young super-humans have done. Yet, this book is packed with solid take-aways for me.
Throughout The Rise of Superman, Mr. Kotler discusses the psychology of peak performance first described as “flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his 2008 bestseller, Flow. Well, to say that Kotler discusses Flow doesn’t really do him justice. He has ennobled Flow. Animated Flow. He has made entirely approachable the concept of Flow, so that ordinary human beings (like me and you) can understand it, embrace it, and become better because of it. If you want to be a better writer, knitter, chef, coder, hair-stylist, dancer, comedienne, biker, teacher – this book is for you. We have all experienced this wonderful state of flow – when you are doing something you love, you are doing it well, you are concentrating and pushing yourself, and time flies (or stands still) and you feel at one with the universe and with yourself. It is deeply satisfying. It is joy. Who doesn’t want more of this? Kotler is knee-deep in Mihaly’s world of Flow and he delivers it to his readers in spades.
My favorite new word from this book: autotelic
My favorite new science-y concept from this book: transient hypofrontality
My favorite quote from this book: “To really achieve anything, you have to be able to tolerate and enjoy risk. It has to become a challenge to look forward to. In all fields, to make exceptional discoveries you need risk—you’re just never going to have a breakthrough without it.”
Last but not least, I now understand the hair-raising stunts my own sons used to do regularly in our backyard. They were Goodflow Hunting. Carry on you brave souls….
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