When you only have 5 minutes, time really flies if you’re having fun.
As a kid when you were playing or doing something so fun your entire soul, body, and mind are into it and your parents tell you it’s time to stop, you’d often beg for “five more minutes.” But what if you only have five minutes in the first place?
This notion of “time flies when you’re having fun” communicates quite a lot if you reflect on it. That line was the opening quote of my 5-minute Ignite Talk at the recent Ignite Annapolis event. (Ignite Talks are TED-style talks limited to five minutes.)
Of course, we cannot make time move faster, but it is worth noting when it seems like it does. Anytime we are do something we love, are passionate about, and deeply enjoy time will “fly.” But why does this happen to us?
When an experience is deeply gratifying, we lose focus on before and after. Our focus and attention are heightened while narrowed to be fully in that experience. This makes us lose track of time. And that’s exactly what happened during my Ignite Talk, titled “You Don’t Have to Love Exercise; Just Get a Crush on It!”
Merging brain science with exercise to provide a fitness experience that is enjoyable – and yes challenging – right now so you feel better about it while simultaneously providing long-term brain health benefits is my jam. That’s what my Ignite Talk was about. And that may have been the fastest five minutes of my life. I started, I blinked, and it was over. I was dialed in. Knew what I was going to say and how I would say it. I was in flow.
It was a delight to share, but also to see the talks of others. There is something terrific about being in the presence of people that have that magical combination of passion and expertise. When you witness them sharing something they are great at with passion, you can get interested. Enthusiasm pulls you in.
I met Alex Pline, who discussed smart development for a better future, Andrew Suggs, who started a company called Live Chair devoted to putting blood pressure machines in barbershops, and Gene Deems, who gave us all a pebble to remind us that we can have a big ripple effect by doing good.
But enough words, check out my Ignite Talk here.