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Optimal Experience: Not One Destination Jun 16, 2003 (153 of 166 found this helpful)
If anyone is seeking a "recipe" for "optimal experience" do not read this book. This book is not a step-by-step self-help guide. Neither is it a pedantic overview of psychological studies replete with statistical analyses, i.e., hard data, proving "flow" exists. The simplest way to summarize this book is, it describes how different people create meaning in life with full intention and focus and thereby achieve an ongoing state of satisfaction and sense of fulfillment.
The book begins with an overview of how people define and achieve happiness. Essentially, the author contends, most people are not happy because the universe was not created to make us happy but on the contrary, it serves to frustrate us and help us grow ... The primary focus of this book is to show us that "flow" states happen to people despite the challenges of the universe, it happens to people from all walks of life, from all cultures, throughout the world.
Flow is a state of consciousness which can be achieved on an individual path. It also has common elements which anyone who is experiencing the state can identify. The author examines the common experiences which people who are in a state of "flow" describe. It seems people who are in "flow" achieve a state of consciousness that is in harmony with their surroundings and feelings. They do not make distinctions between work and play ... people in "flow" create an inner state of being that brings them peace and fulfillment that is separate from their external environment. They are focused, what they do is meaningful and has purpose, they are absorbed in their activities and they have a sense of connection to their inner self and and also with others. The state called "flow" pertains to enjoyment and satisfaction with one's quality of life. The basis for the flow experience seems to be creating meaning and controlling consciousness where a state of unity exists which is consistent with a person's life themes. Some people experience it for minutes, some for hours, some for days on end ... evidently it can be sustained for long periods of time by some people. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the "psychology of being alive here and now."
Erika Borsos (erikab93)
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Flow Is Fun! Mar 5, 2002 (52 of 55 found this helpful)
If you are in any competitive sports, read this book. If you play golf, tennis, or any other such sport as a hobby and you want to do better, read this book.
Flow refers to a state where you are totally absorbed in what you are doing. You lose self-consciousness. The one sure way to fail at a competitve endeavor is to be concerned with how you appear to others or how you are being evaluated. Your mental energy is drawn away from the competitive endeavor and what you need to be focused upon. You want to be in the flow. Not worried about your ego. (all competitor mind games essentially try to throw you out of a flow experience)
As Csikszentmihalyi says if you are playing a game of tennis and suddenly you start thinking about how you are doing overall, your concentration is broken. It will become really hard to win. You want to only focus upon each serve or return shot as you are making it. Not the one before or the next one. Not how great or how poorly you are doing.
You want this to happen naturally. You don't want to be saying to yourself, "I want to concentrate on each shot. I want to concentrate on each shot." You just want it to happen. The experience becomes, as Csikszentmihalyi calls it, an autotelic experience. What you are doing becomes an end in itself. And the best part of being in flow is that when you are in it, you will be enjoying yourself.
"Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" is one of the best books ever if you want to understand human performance and what separates those who win from those who lose...
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Classic Positive Psychology Text. It'll make you smile. Nov 23, 2000 (185 of 214 found this helpful)
First, the name is pronounced chick-sent-mih-high. And it is worth remembering because this is one book that will probably be around in 100 or 200 years. It is that important. Certainly, it is one of, if not the most important books in the positive psychology field. The author has spent his life researching the Flow state, and in the process, has inspired hundreds, if not thousands of other researchers to further pursue this profound, yet simple concept.
Flow is a state that artists experience when they are feeling in the groove, when time seems to just fly and the "work" seems to soar.
One key ingredient of flow is a challenge that can be reasonably responded to with existing resources. That tells us that it is important, if we are going to achieve Flow States, to challenge ourselves regularly.
The book walks the reader through some of the basic research and then, to conclusions about how this amazing concept affects us all, and how it affects people who insist on finding the flow in their lives.
I discovered MC's work about 12 years ago, and while working on a book titled THE HAPPINESS RESPONSE, had my first conversation with him. He's one man who walks the talk-- kind, accessible. His book opens a door to a new way of thinking about living, about psychology, and it has had a major role in the development of the field of positive psychology. Matter of fact, if you are interested in positive psychology you absolutely must have this book.
If you want to get a handle on some concrete aspects of finding more meaning in your life, on specific strategies for feeling more alive, then read this book.
In my lectures and workshops, I present the Anatomy of Positive Experience. One key element is the optimization of the moment-- Once you realize you are having a positive experience, there are many strategies you can use to make the experience longer, stronger, deeper, more meaningful, shared with someone you love, etc. This book gives you many specific ideas on how to do just these things.
In the annual meeting I organize, The Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology Meeting, it is common for trainers and researchers to describe how winners stay in the moment to perform their best. Flow is about the same phenomenon. But not just about winning, it's also about the little moments too.
You don't have to paint a masterpiece or climb a mountain to find flow. Just stretch a little. And this book and MC's other works help you learn HOW to stretch so you feel the FLOW. This is one of those books I've recommended to hundreds of people. Try it. You won't go wrong.
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Stephen Covey, Anthony Robbins, step aside! Nov 4, 2000 (93 of 109 found this helpful)
The publications and blather out there are endless! The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Personal Power, First Things First (duh!) are great feel good books, but what does one really get out of them? Well, after reading them, one supposedly knows what successful people do, what to do first, or maybe have an increased sense of personal power. Somehow, I don't think so.
Enter Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and the idea of Flow. Flow is about finding meaning in a particular activity, profession or if one is really fortunate in life. The bottom line is that to achieve maximum happiness, enjoyment, or even "success" a person will often have "flow" experiences. It's when worries slip away, when a person or a team is engaged in an activity, and is so focused that it seems effortless.
Covey, Robbins, and the rest of em', will present you with a square peg which you may be able to smash into a round hole if you keep hitting it hard enough. Understanding, yourself and what brings you satisfaction in life must come before following any prescribed method for improvement or success. If you love what you do, and do what you love, you don't need some guru to give you the steps to success.
Flow can help you find and understand that. You've got to start with the basics, and this book can provide insight on what flow is, what conditions facilitate it, how to achieve it, and where to start. Highly recommended!
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Every self-knowing person should read this book Apr 16, 1998 (53 of 62 found this helpful)
For me, this book provided my first insight into how people really become happy. We're happy when we are in flow. Unlike many of the "happy psychology" books that are available, this one feels true. It's also backed up by real research; the author is not a pop psychology dude but a real researcher. (I understand from the university psych community that M.C.'s work may not be universally admired, but that may simply be because it is approachable and understandable by your average educated person.)
It's rare to find a book that agrees with both what I think and what I feel. For anyone who wants to have new insights into what makes us feel happy (and who doesn't?), I highly recommend this book.
Additionally, I recommend his latest book, Creativity. I would skip much of his second popular book, Finding Flow, which gets into a lot of metaphysical stuff that doesn't agree with either how I feel or how I think. Flow, however, is the key to understanding the rest of his work.