In this TED talk, Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi asks the question, “What makes a life worth living?”
He says that a lack of basic material resources contributes to unhappiness but the increase in material resources does not necessarily increase happiness. He shows in this video and his books that those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction are engaging in activities that bring about a state of “flow.”
I know that when I was in “flow” mode today while working on my MG adventure novel, I was very happy. I hit my word count goal for the day. I enjoyed the food I ate and the music I was listening to while writing. When I picked up my four-year-old after daycare we played and laughed and ran around more vigorously than when I haven’t been able to get any writing done for the day.
When we are in flow, Czikszentmihalyi says, we disappear. Our existence is temporarily suspended. I feel this way when I write or perform. I disappear into these other worlds for the time I am engaged in my story.
Seven things he mentions that are important for flow:
- We are completely involved in what we are doing, focused, concentrated
- A sense of ecstasy – being outside everyday reality
- Great inner clarity – knowing what needs to be done and how well we are doing
- Knowing that the activity is doable – that we are up to the task
- Serenity – no worry about self, feeling of growing beyond the ego
- Timelessness – focused on the present, hours seem to pass in minutes
- Intrinsic motivation – engaging in flow is its own reward
Stories are the wildest things.
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