The Flow State Manifesto

The Median Between Mastery and Mattering

May 07, 2026

Excellence is the most sought-after trait of the 21^st century. We see creators making reels, shorts or self-help manuals, all showcasing their own version of excellence. Every creator or author out there has their own idea of excellence, which they pitch accordingly. For some, excellence is synonymous with the finish line, making it to the top of billboards or the dramatic display of intensity that burns brightly till its exhaustion.

We as human beings have a deep desire to excel in our own fields. We’re predisposed to turn towards excellence, just as a sunflower is predisposed to turn towards the sun. But the real question is, are we even aware of what excellence is? Are we aware of how to pursue excellence without losing ourselves in the process? These thoughts keep popping up in our minds when we try to pursue the way of excellence. Moreover, answering these questions are as critical, if one is striving for excellence, whether in professional or personal life.

Excellence isn’t some rare trait. Neither is it limited to only a few chosen ones. It’s an intimate human pulse. A natural pull to engage in something worthwhile, which reflects both who we are and what we value. For me, excellence is less about peak performance and more about the quiet median between mastery and mattering.

Biologically, we’re built for this. We want to achieve this sweet spot. Our bodies and minds naturally push toward growth — scientists call it homeostatic upregulation. Just like a bud that has no choice but to open. In modern life, we continue this trend in the form of upskilling or reskilling.

In practice, that growth happens in four stages :

Unconscious Incompetence — blissfully unaware of how much you don’t know.
Conscious Incompetence — the painful part where you suddenly see every shortcoming. This phase is achieved with time & repetition.
Conscious Competence — As repetition continues, with time, we develop conscious competence. This is when we engage in deliberate practice.
Unconscious Competence — The ultimate aim is to reach unconscious competence i.e. the stage where competence becomes second nature. The stage where core competency meets the flow state

I felt the shift most clearly during Advantage Assam 2.0 in February 2025.

Promotional video of Advantage Assam 2.0

We had over 900 VVIPs land in our small state — the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and other cabinet ministers, industrialists such as Ambani, Adani, and Tata, plus heavy delegations from Singapore, the UK, Taiwan etc. As part of the Accommodation, Protocol, and Transport committee, my days collapsed into 16-hour shifts and sleepless nights. By normal standards, I should have burned out completely.

Instead, something strange happened.

Because of all the repetitive, often boring protocol work I’d done for years, the mechanics became automatic. I wasn’t thinking about every security cordon or seating arrangement anymore — I was just moving. At one point, I caught myself calmly guiding my senior officers, colleagues and a junior at the same time, not because I was trying to lead, but because the rhythm was already there.

There was no heroic music playing in my head. There was just a strange, calm focus in the middle of absolute chaos. This state for me is the sublime state of blissful engagement and seamless performance.

That’s the part no one talks about enough. When one reaches that level, the external noise, the pressure to look excellent, and the fear of criticism start to fade. I wasn’t performing anymore. I was simply doing the work at a level where it feels like me.

It gives two things that actually matter: a sense of autonomy and a feeling of genuine connection to the people around you. Not because I was chasing validation, but because I was finally useful in a deep, effortless way. It is where I could feel one can silence the noise of chaos and criticism around us. I was no longer performing for the “billboard” version of excellence rather, I was simply existing in the quiet, steady centre of my own capability.