Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Rise of Superman summary
Steven Kotler
Decoding The Science of Ultimate Human Performance
19 mins
Topics
Table of Contents
The Rise of Superman
Summary of 9 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 9
Flow is a state of mind that helps us perform at our peak and often feels profoundly spiritual.
Have you ever been so “in the zone” that the entire world around you seemed to fade away? Did you notice that, during that time, you were performing at your very best? If so, you’re not alone. This experience, called flow, is fundamental part of the human experience. But what is it exactly?
Flow is a mental state that allows us to perform at our absolute best.
One way it does so is by acutely increasing in our ability to find creative solutions to problems.
For example, when the surfer Laird Hamilton rode the “Millenium Wave” off the coast of Tahiti, he likely would have died had he not followed to his creative insight that he gained from flow.
As the enormous wave began to break near the reef-ridden coast, he put his hands on the opposite side of the board into the water in order to prevent getting sucked up into the hydraulic. This is spectacular because it had never been done before, and is the only thing that saved him from death.
In addition, people often find flow to be a powerfully spiritual experience. After being in the flow state, many people report having heard the Voice, i.e., their subconscious creative intuition.
For example, when famous climber Dean Potter recounts climbing the gigantic Fitz Roy mountain, he attributes his success to the Voice.
Upon reaching a wall of ice three times the size of New York’s Chrysler building, he made approximately 670 correct moves up the wall with no equipment. Not being able to judge a path from the bottom of the wall, just one wrong move would have meant death, but the Voice did not deceive him.
In addition, people who are in a flow state often experience egoloss, i.e., the sense that they don’t exist as individuals. They become their sport. For example, surfers often report the feeling of being “one with the waves” after experiencing flow.
Want to see all full key ideas from The Rise of Superman?
Key ideas in The Rise of Superman
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The Rise of Superman about?
The Rise of Superman examines the top performers in extreme sports in order to gain insight into how they use flow, i.e., the transcendental experience of being in “the zone,” to accomplish their amazing feats and connects the dots between the experience of flow and the neurology behind it.
Who should read The Rise of Superman?
- Anyone interested in achieving optimal performance
- Anyone involved in extreme sports
- Anyone interested in neuroscience and the mind
Categories with The Rise of Superman
Books like The Rise of Superman
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked
Start growing with Blinkist now
28 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers