The Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
By Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
A few quotes in the opening of this book that hit me right where I am living….
Happiness, in fact, is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person. People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us can come to being happy.
For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue…as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a course greater than oneself.
The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.
Flow is a word that is used quite a bit these days: in the athletic world (being in the flow during a great athletic performance, or just a good run), the creative world (the flow of experiencing the muse working through us) and the world of science and invention (that breakthrough experience which seems to defy material expectations).
In this book Csikszentmihalyi takes a very deep dive into research on consciousness, psychic energy, focus and other aspects of what he calls “flow” or the “phenomenology of enjoyment.” He identifies eight components to this phenomenology. He says “when people reflect on how it feels when their experience is most positive, they mention at least one, and often all, of the following:”
The experience usually occurs when we confront tasks we have a chance of completing.
We must be able to concentrate on what we are doing.
The concentration is usually possible because the task undertaken has clear goals and…
The task provides opportunities for immediate feedback.
One acts with a deep but effortless involvement that removes from awareness the worries and frustrations of everyday life.
Enjoyable experiences allow people to exercise a sense of control over their actions.
Concern for the self disappears, yet paradoxically the sense of self emerges stronger after the flow experience is over.
The sense of the duration of time is altered; hours pass by in minutes, and minutes can stretch out to seem like hours.
“The combination of all these elements causes a sense of deep enjoyment that is so rewarding people feel that expending a great deal of energy is worthwhile simply to be able to feel it. “
This book is a guide to practicing these elements in our lives. It is part research, part anecdote and lots of inspiration for a creative and enjoyable life. I will return to it over and over.