...being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost.Have you experienced that feeling? I have, but I didn't have a name for it until I found and read a couple of Csikszentmihalyi's books, a number of years ago. I have a hunch that a number of Cove dwellers may have read some of his works. If so, what do you think?

/Claes

Claes, on the sports news programs here in the USA, they call it "in the zone". Probably first coined when referring to Michael Jordan, who seemed to enter this "flow" or "zone" at will. He's a great example from the sports world about success when one has the combination of inborn ability, extreme desire to excell, extreme work ethic, extreme attention to skill practice, extreme attention to detail, and a great love for what he did.

How does it feel to be in "the flow"?
Completely involved, focused, concentrating - with this either due to innate curiosity or as the result of training
Sense of ecstasy - of being outside everyday reality
Great inner clarity - knowing what needs to be done and how well it is going
Knowing the activity is doable - that the skills are adequate, and neither anxious or bored
Sense of serenity - no worries about self, feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of ego - afterwards feeling of transcending ego in ways not thought possible
Timeliness - thoroughly focused on present, don't notice time passing
Intrinsic motivation - whatever produces "flow" becomes its own reward

Intrinsic motivation - whatever produces "flow" becomes its own rewardExactly... :agree1:

/Claes

Never Give Up = SISU !

Never Give Up = SISU !Yep, that's a good translation. I believe that comes from the finnish language, and the fact that I have Never ever give up... as my Cove signature should give you a hint that I don't experience flow every day....:rolleyes:

/Claes

I think CNC has given us a pretty good description. I've been lucky enough to have had several activities/hobbies (whatever you want to call them) in my life where I have acheived "flow". As Joe commented, I have also always referred to it as being in the zone. As I recall, I heard it referred to as the zone long before I knew who Jordan was, but maybe his prowess brought the term to mass understanding? We used it in rodeo, "I set my calf and we settled into the zone, it was awesome", in Drum and Bugle Corp, "We were in the zone tonight" and also in Karate.

It is an amazing feeling. Actually, quite addictive. For me it was being so attuned to the activity that I was almost an entity apart from it, yet so connected that I was inseperable (sp?) from the activity itself.

Yep, that's a good translation. I believe that comes from the finnish language,

/Claes


You are correct. Homeland of my grandparents

in Drum and Bugle Corp, "We were in the zone tonight"


We used to say "it cooked" - from the Jazz vernacular. It is a feeling unlike any other. Addicting. Unless someone has been there, it is useless trying to describe just what it is, where it is, or how it feels.

It is, however, very real.

IMO, a certain amount of technical prowess is necessary to achieve it, but, also IMO, there are superb technicians who have never been there. It takes a kind of letting go, a freedom allowed oneself, to become totally immersed in the moment at hand.

I've been there - years ago when I fenced competitively sometimes everything just "clicked" - usually got my best results when it occured. Also have had it while doing contradances when I lived in New England, and more occasionally Morris Dances - magical moments when time seemed to disappear, and interaction was magical. I've never though of it as flow - I'd also done a fair amount of reading regarding Zen, and had approached it as a state of no being. The wording and descriptions are nearly identical. Frequency of occurence was related to practice/time invested in the endeavor in question - have had it maybe once or twice in my work life.
Kevin

Not to be a complete downer, but there are some folks who think they are in the "zone," but in reality have a poor grasp of the facts.

Over the years, I've encountered many executives (my own organization, customers, and suppliers) who, at first glance, seemed to be the perfect example of the ideal executive:

able to focus on big picture and small detail
boundless energy
fearless conviction of the value and validity of their point of view
great personal charisma and charm
able to make quick, firm decisions

only to discover, in hindsight, there were really suffering from the manic phase of bipolar disorder.

One sad experience had the CEO go from world beater to suicide in less than six months.

Often, the insiders see glimpses of the true personality when execs ignore advice from staffers, exhibit charm to outsiders and vicious ruthlessness to subordinates and staff.

I wish I knew an easy way for a person to determine whether he is truly in the zone or merely deluded by a chemical imbalance in the brain.

From what I've learned at the equivalent of Al-anon for the friends and families of Bipolar sufferers is the sufferers have such a liking for the "high" of the manic phase, they refuse to take their medications and when in the depressed state, they may be unable to function well enough to take their medication.

For more information:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm

I've been there - years ago when I fenced competitively sometimes everything just "clicked" - usually got my best results when it occured. Also have had it while doing contradances when I lived in New England, and more occasionally Morris Dances - magical moments when time seemed to disappear, and interaction was magical. I've never though of it as flow - I'd also done a fair amount of reading regarding Zen, and had approached it as a state of no being. The wording and descriptions are nearly identical. Frequency of occurence was related to practice/time invested in the endeavor in question - have had it maybe once or twice in my work life.
Kevin
I have experienced it a couple times when I used to be a song and dance man as an avocation. You are exactly in tune with your audience, they are clapping along with your performance and everything is going exactly right and the feeling of achievement is never better. This was was the best, we did this to raise money for the local community,and although I worked vey hard and received no pay for it, but was definately rewarded. My all time favorite song to sing was " If I Were a Rich Man" from "Fiddler on the Roof".
Really got into the "zone" for that one. Alaso experienced it somewhat while teaching a SPC class at the local college.