Flow – How to Create More Happiness
“…those who attain it develop a stronger, more confident self, because more of their psychic energy has been invested successfully in goals they themselves had chosen to pursue.”
~Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Flow)
During my initial research into the topic of happiness, this book “Flow – The Psychology of Optimal Experience” was one of the first books I read. It was completely fascinating.
We have all experienced it: We are so immersed in an activity that time flies without our awareness. We know what we have to do, and see results from our efforts.
We feel like we are floating and nothing else seems to matter. This is flow, according to Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced “cheek-sent-me-high-ee)”.
A flow experience seems to self-create when trying something new and exciting. Perhaps you learn to skydive for the first time, or maybe you find the challenge in crafting a new budget which creates tangible opportunity for your organization.
Soccer or hockey players, at the peak of their performance, feel flow. Gardening, playing music, or completing a crossword puzzle can all induce flow. This is a state of happiness, which seems fleeting, but which can be repeated.
However, different activities work for different people. The challenge is to discover which activities work for you.
How do you discover your flow activity?
Look to your past for situations where time flew, where you were immersed in a project, game, or activity. Think about what you genuinely love to do, yet can find some level of challenge with it.
Pulling weeds in a garden may not be much of a challenge, but planning the layout of a new garden may require more concentration, and create more opportunity for flow. You may love yoga, yet some classes are relaxing, and others more challenging. The latter classes may mean your “psychic (or mental) energy has been invested successfully,” as the quote above points out.
It is a challenge to sustain flow, for as you conquer new levels of knowledge and skill, it takes further challenge to achieve flow in your activities. While flow is not constant, it is something which may motivate you, which may push you to the next higher level in those pleasurable activities.
Which will be your next goal to conquer? Which activity can you push yourself just enough to suspend time, even if only for a moment?
--Tina Su
Photo by Tambako the Jaguar
“…those who attain it develop a stronger, more confident self, because more of their psychic energy has been invested successfully in goals they themselves had chosen to pursue.”~Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Flow)
During my initial research into the topic of happiness, this book “Flow – The Psychology of Optimal Experience” was one of the first books I read. It was completely fascinating.
We have all experienced it: We are so immersed in an activity that time flies without our awareness. We know what we have to do, and see results from our efforts.
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