The Flow State - The Secret of Successful People

What would it be like to feel that you are living, right now, that you are fully involved in what you are doing? What would it be like to never work again? And everything you do to do with pleasure and joy? This is the psychology of the state of flux.

What would it be like to feel that you are living, right now, that you are fully involved in what you are doing? What would it be like to never work again? And all you do is do it with pleasure and joy? This is the psychology of the state of flow.

When the expert on happiness and creativity, Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, studied how painters work, he noticed a strange thing. When the work on a painting was going well, they no longer cared about fatigue, hunger or discomfort, but just kept working.

But when the painting was finished, they quickly lost interest.

What was this special state that seemed to absorb their whole being? Csikszentmihaly called it a "state of flux." It is when you are fully involved in what you are doing at a given time.

When you are in the flow state:

• an hour can pass in an instant

• you feel that what you do is important

• you don't care what others say anymore

• you feel that you have total control

• experience has inner rewards

To enter the flow state, you must:

• to be motivated from within, for example: when you do something just for the pleasure of doing it
• the pregnancy should demand your skills to the limit, but not so much as to make you anxious

• you have to set clear short-term goals that you are trying to achieve

• you have to be able to see, as far as you have progressed, for example, you can see how things work on a painting, a blog, etc.

The experience of the flow state was studied in surgeons, writers, artists, scientists, athletes, and people who only socialized or played games. This experience of maximum performance is very similar, regardless of the activity.

The state of flow requires balance, as Mihaly Csikszentmihaly says in her book on the subject, "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience." "

Although it is a wonderful thing, the flow state is not always easy to achieve.

What would you do with pleasure every day if you had all the money in the world?

How exactly can you bring value to this EARTH and the people around you?

What benefits does the flow condition have?

As you have already learned, the state of flow means conscious presence. Thus, when you enter it, you focus exclusively on one activity (yes, it is important to know that flow and multitasking do not make a good team), which, in the long run, helps you to improve your ability to concentrate.

The state of flow is closely linked to better and healthier management of emotions. If you practice a creative hobby, you have certainly noticed how beneficial it has been, over time, for managing stress and, implicitly, less comfortable emotions.

Of course, this also applies to other types of activities, including those involving movement. For some of us, a jogging session can be just as therapeutic as a journaling or painting session.

The state of flow is based on inner (intrinsic) motivation. Thus, you paint, draw, write, run only because this brings you joy, not to receive appreciation and validation from those around you. The simple involvement in the whole process, be it creative or otherwise, motivates you to continue.

The flow state helps you to have a better level of productivity because you focus 100% exclusively on a task. You dedicate all your attention and energy to a single activity - which you end up doing, over time, much better.

The more often you enter the flow state, the better your chances of becoming better at a certain activity. In other words, if you get involved and focus every day on writing or running, you will evolve, over time, naturally and naturally in that direction.

Wondering what all these benefits and happiness have to do with it? Well, we suggest you read again the first 3 points, which are related to each other.

Conscious presence, connecting to one's emotions and healthily releasing them, constantly finding and capitalizing on the sources of inner motivation - all these factors are essential for achieving happiness.

Looking at things from this perspective, we can say that the state of flux is also a way for you to learn to be present in the present, to manage your emotions, instead of running away from them, but also to find inside yourself, each this time, the motivation to do an activity that you enjoy and that you are good at.

As you enter the flow state

Create the right environment, especially if you know that it is difficult for you to concentrate in a room where there is, say, a lot of noise. Although some of us may be in a state of flux (almost) under any circumstances, this does not mean that we need to regard this as an essential condition.

To create the atmosphere you need: leave your electronic devices in another room, organize your workspace, leave your favorite song in the background, mute.

Take on achievable challenges. To enter the state of flux, it is important to have realistic goals, ie directly proportional to your current skills and knowledge. Of course, this does not mean that you have to focus on activities that you do very easily and quickly, but on some that, although challenging, you can complete.

Let's say, for example, that so far you have painted almost only landscapes and you intend to try your first portrait. Although we are talking about a challenge, because it brings a new, different element, it is still a realistic one, because you have artistic skills and knowledge in this regard.

If you feel that it helps you, create a personal ritual. You could, for example, meditate before embarking on the actual activity: mindfulness is in itself an entry into the state of flux.

Final thought

The flow state is both a healthy way to manage your emotions, including those that cause you discomfort and a way to exercise your attention and ability to concentrate. Last but not least, the more often you enter the state of flux, the more you increase your chances of developing your skills in a branch that interests and excites you.