“Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
This is one of the best books on optimal performance and the psychology of success and happiness out there. I quite often measure the value of a book with how many times I highlight elements in the book, as well as how many times I stop reading and find myself reflecting and taking notes – this book kept be busy in both areas! It would be impossible for me to capture all of the brilliance in this book when it comes to performing at your best in any arena of your life. If you have a desire to become all that you are capable of becoming and would like to achieve your goals and dreams, then this book is a must have for you.
Endless lessons in this book my friends, yet here are three that have continued to have a positive impact on my life:
1. Creating the “Flow Channel” in your life one must do 2 main things; increase the level of challenge while increasing your level of skill. If you only increase the level of challenge without increasing your level of skill you will find yourself full of anxiety and stress. And if you only increase your level of skills without increasing the level of challenge you will find yourself being bored.
2. The 4 main elements that must be present to achieve optimal experience/Flow are: 1. Setting clear goals/objectives, 2. Becoming immersed in the activity, 3. Paying attention to what is happening, 4. Learning to enjoy the immediate experience. Many athletes call this being “in the zone.”
3. Contrary to what we tend to assume, the “natural” state of our minds is chaos. Without us choosing to focus on a goal/objective we are left with our minds only being able to focus for a few minutes at a time. This is a huge reminder to me that continually shows up – when I focus all of my attention and energy on an objective/goal it is amazing the level of success I am able to achieve.
Again, there are endless lessons that await you in this book. I cannot stress high enough the value that it will add to your life personally and professionally while being an outstanding addition to your Success Library.
In service to your success,
Brandon Johnson
“The Positive Energy Guy”
