Living a life in flow requires certain conditions to be present that no matter what your life circumstances seem to be like, you can live a life of flow according to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of the highly acclaimed book “Flow”
The author carried out a study of this concept for over 20 years and took a selection of people from all walks of life and of different ages. Certain common patterns seemed to emerge that pointed to living a life of flow.
One of the basic requirements to live a life of flow is to be able to take charge of where your attention goes. If we are unable to take charge of the way we think and where we place our attention then “psychic entropy” becomes a part of our life experience. This is another way of saying inner disorder rules our inner world and it is difficult to achieve our goals and dreams while in this state.
The author goes on to say that it is not the experience of pleasure that brings flow but more importantly the ability to “enjoy” the tasks or challenges that we face. One can have a lofty challenge and be tested and stretched but the full engagement in doing what is in front of one triggers a state of flow. This points towards putting full attention on whatever it is you are doing with full commitment.
If one can achieve this state then the relationship with time is altered. Hours pass by in minutes and minutes can stretch out to seem like hours. As a result a sense of deep enjoyment ensues from this quality of attention and action when living your life in flow.
I experienced this state recently when I decided to sit down and write a short ebook and simply immersed myself in writing the content. Before I knew it two hours had passed whereas I felt as if 10 minutes had gone by. I lost all notion of time and the fact that I just immersed myself in the writing of the book created a sense of enjoyment and fulfilment that I never would have imagined.
Whatever you may be putting off or thinking about doing, consider just deciding to just do the task with full engagement and commitment. A flow state may just begin to emerge in the task that otherwise could have been perceived as an obligation or chore.
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