My Paradise

Have you experienced a moment where the rest of existence seemed to vanish and the only thing you perceived were yourself and whatever activity you were engaged in? Have you had a moment of pure concentration? Have you experienced flow?

Mihaly Csikszentmihaly a psychology professor and author of the book Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement With Everyday Life spoke at a TED conference in February of 2004. His talk was pretty interesting. Rather than simply talking about the flow experience as some mystical out of body wonderment he takes you through the steps and science behind achieve such moments.

For me, the flow moments are common. I have a job doing something I love and those moments are every day occurrences. Asside from my work, I also experience flow while playing challenging video games or encountering challenges in every day life. Be it typing faster than I think I currently can, or moving in different ways… Challenging myself is the best way I know to find enjoyment and luckily challenges are all around. If things are too easy I grow bored quickly. It’s the challenges in life that make it fun.