In the Zone, or In the Moment?

This morning, after an interruptive short burst of appreciated rainfall, I pushed off for a 2-hour ride. The air quality was moderate, PSI around 77, and I made good use of the time. I elected the safer route, save for trick turnarounds at the end of the straight road. About one hour into my ride/drills, I experienced an epiphany. I discerned the difference between being ‘in the zone’ and ‘in the moment’.

Athletes talk often about being in the zone. This is when your actions become almost effortless. Other professionals have described being in the zone when making exquisite presentations, giving inspirational speeches, emanating charisma, and closing serial sales deals. On the other hand, zoning out is a dangerous thing, and that is daydreaming – that’s is when runners and cyclists run into things.

Being in the moment is about enjoying what you do. It is a heightened state of alertness. It is about relishing moments of discovery, intrigue, curiosity and adventure. Friends have lucidly described vivid snapshots of scenery when riding 180K on the Ironman course, and during the marathon.

How often do you enjoy being in the moment? When do you get into the zone? When do you zone out?

Business Lessons Learnt From Road Trips

The past week was a mini-adventure, of sorts, for me. My journey (as a rusty navigator) with my partner-driver, Melina took us from Auckland to Taupo, and back up. There is so much about leadership you can glean from working as a partnership/team when tensions can mount and tax your mind and body. I so appreciate the relevance of a GPS device, yet it may have reduced the moments of engaging and energetic arguments ('I am right - you are wrong!' and 'You are too slow!').

Knowledge Management expert, Keith De Larue wrote a very good piece on his 5,000-kilometre bike-ride in the 1980's. There are, interestingly, many parallels about riding and managing your own business. Although I do not ride a motorbike nor drive a car (in the legal sense), I can relate to the lessons that can be extracted from such endurance activities. Fitness is factored into long-distance drives or rides; not just in the 180km leg of the Ironman triathlon.