From Flow by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi

From Flow by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi,

 

·         This is one of the classics of Psychology, not just positive psychology

·         It gives you insight into and some of the formulas of happiness

Aristotle:

·         More than anything else, men and women seek happiness

·         Happiness is sought for its own sake

·         Every other goal- beauty, money, power –is valued

·         Only because we expect that it will make us happy

Optimal Experience-

·         There are times when we feel in Control of our actions

·         Masters of our own fate- when that happens

·         We feel a sense of exhilaration and enjoyment

·         It is long cherished and becomes a

·         Landmark in memory for what life should be like

·         It is what the sailor holding a tight course feels when

·         Wind whips through her hair – a harmony that vibrates

·         It is what a painter feels when the colors on the canvas

·         Set a magnetic tension and a new thing takes shape

·         A father when his child responds to his smile for the first time

 

·         The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive

·         It is when one’s body or mind is stretched to its limits

·         In a Voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and

·         Worthwhile –it is something that We Make Happen

Flow

·         Flow is the way people describe their state of mind

·         When consciousness is harmoniously ordered and

·         They want to pursue whatever they are doing for Its Own Sake

·         Examines the process of achieving happiness through

·         Control over one’s life

·         The optimal state of inner experience is one in which

·         There is order in consciousness

·         This happens when attention is invested in realistic goals

·         When skills match the opportunities for action

·         The pursuit of a goal brings order because a person

·         Must concentrate on the task and

·         Forget everything else

·         These periods are what people find the most enjoyable times

 

Conditions of the Flow Experience

·         A person who has achieved control over psychic energy and

·         Has invested it in chosen goals will grow into a more complex being

·         By stretching skills,

·         And reaching toward higher challenges

·         Such a person becomes an extraordinary individual

·         Activities that produce Flow:

·         Sports, games, art and hobbies

·         To achieve control over what happens in the mind

·         One can draw upon an infinite range of opportunities

·         Use of sensory and physical skills-

·         From athletics to music to Yoga

·         Or the development of Symbolic skills:

·         Poetry, philosophy or mathematics

·         It is crucial to transform jobs into

·         Flow-producing activities

·         You need to think of ways to make

·         Relations with parents, spouses, children

·         And friends more enjoyable