“It is when we act freely, for the sake of the action itself rather than for ulterior motives, that we learn to become more than what we were.” – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Let’s say you are doing an activity – it can be playing basketball, playing an instrument, speaking to a group, or working on a challenging project – anything where you are in a state of having so much fun that you almost lose track of time. That feeling or state can be best described in the word called, “Flow”.
There is a man named Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi that did a lot of research regarding the state called flow.
Flow increases happiness, fulfillment, productivity, and so much more. It’s amazing.
One of the key ideas from the research is that in order to find flow we need to have the balance of challenge/difficulty yet also have the skill/ability to accomplish it.
To keep with our basketball example – a High School basketball player would have no fun playing against a 5 year old, but also would get torched by an NBA player and get disheartened.
Knowing this, if you are in a situation where you are rarely if ever being challenged or using skills and strengths you already have, then you are likely rarely in flow, and therefore need to take action. You can either increase the challenge or your skill/ability.
One action you can take is to learn and recognize when the moments you have felt flow in the past. What were you doing? Who were you doing with? What was it about the environment or situation that made it work for you?
Knowing that, consider more – what possible actions you can take to easily access more moments of flow? And once you are in the flow, how can you keep it going?
I love assisting people in locating the areas of their lives where flow occurs. I would be happy to assist you if you want to figure that one out. Please get in touch – let’s talk!
Land a Job You Love
I’ve created a new masterclass to help those out of a job or seeking a new job to help them get hired fast. Go watch my FREE Engineering Career Accelerator Masterclass by clicking the button below!
See more in the video below!
