Customer Reviews

Flow: The Psychology Of Optimal Experience

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first discovered the concept of flow several years ago when
I was working at home on a grievance matter that I was
handling for my teacher's union . . . all of a sudden, I was
interrupted by a call from my massage therapist . . . she
was asking why I wasn't in her office for my appointment.

Now massages are one of the things I REALLY look forward
to . . . yet I had been so "into" what I was doing that the
appointment completely skipped my mind.

Sometime thereafter, I became acquainted with the work
of esteemed psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and his
work on this subject . . . so when I just got the chance to hear
FLOW: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE--written
by and featuring the author--I jumped at the opportunity to learn
even more.

And learn I did in this fascinating book . . . most of all, I became
acquainted with the following major components of the flow experience:

* There's clarity of goals.

* Feedback is immediate. You know moment-by-moment how well
you're doing.

* The challenges of the activity are matched with the skills of the person.

* There's a feeling of focus on what you're doing.

* Everyday frustrations are removed from your attention.

* You feel that you can be control of your life.

* You also lose a sense of self-consciousness.

* And as I previously observed, a sense of time is transformed.

Flow cascades with liberating insight on how to derive real enjoyment moment-by-moment and taste the true richness of living. Csikszentmihalyi's (pronounced chick-sent-me-high) intelligence tuned my worldview to the positive flux of a pleasurable state of mind marked by concentration and deep satisfaction. With this keen manual for optimal existence, I now set "autotelic" challenges via an action system that accentuates the ebb between being and becoming. The rewards are powerful; a contented context - a connecting order that illuminates meaning and the potential to transform the entirety of life into a single flow activity that provides constant evolutionary purpose. An essential emanation for the idea generation. **** Mark Riva

Take steps towards enhancing the quality of your life - explore FlowNet and exchange ideas and experiences associated with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow theory @ http://www.flownetwork.com

Interesting book, explains how and why you are the way you act! Difficult to understand some times.

My primary complaint is the anoying music between each track. However, it also seemed like it was a very light treatment of the material. This could easily be due to the nature of abridged audio books. But, I would not recomend the audio book.