Heard about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi? No? Heard about flow?

[Claes Gefvenberg]

Originally Posted by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, describing flow

...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

[Joe Cruse]

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.

[cncmarine]

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

[Claes Gefvenberg]

Originally Posted by cncmarine

Intrinsic motivation - whatever produces "flow" becomes its own reward

Exactly...

/Claes

[cncmarine]

Never Give Up = SISU !

[Claes Gefvenberg]

Originally Posted by cncmarine

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....

/Claes

[SteelMaiden]

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.

[cncmarine]

Originally Posted by Claes Gefvenberg

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

/Claes

You are correct. Homeland of my grandparents