Ramblings on flow

Author: Brodie Boland
Published on Sep 24th, 2008
http://brodie.nomadlife.org/

Almost all of us have experienced the state of flow at one point in our lives. It's the feeling of being so immersed in a book that when you put it down and look at the clock, hours have passed in what seemed like minutes. It's being 'in the zone' in a basketball game, when it seems as if one is almost able to intuitively sense the position of other players on the court. It's that sense of ease, of effortlessness and energy in the last leg of a long run, when the pace, the hearbeat, the sounds are all in rhythym and one feels as if floating. Csikszentmihalyi, a rather famous psychologist, has studied this state and identified a number of effects, as well as preconditions of flow.

The most immediate effect is the feeling of enjoyment. Csikszentmihalyi found that many of the moments we enjoy most in our lives are those in which we experience flow. And not only are we enjoying ourselves, but we perform best, we feel most empowered afterwards, we leave the activity with a sense of energy, and we develop psychologically through repeated experiences of the flow state. It is, perhaps, one of the most precious of human states.

So what enables flow? There are a number of preconditions, including:
- Clear goals and ongoing feedback
- The ability to concentrate on the task at hand (continuous email checking is, I suspect, one of the greatest barriers to flow for many)
- The ability to immerse oneself in the task, such that one can lose self-consciousness (this is both a cause and effect of flow)
- A balance between one's ability and the challenge at hand, such that one is challenged but not frustrated
- A sense of control over the result
- The activity is intrinsically rewarding (again, both cause and effect)

Along with flow and positive emotions, a third pillar of postive psychology is that of meaning. I interpret meaning to indicate the feelings of importance one has as to their own narrative. In other words, can they tell a story about their life that gives it some significance. In my view, meaning can be seen as flow scaled up from the level of one activity to one's whole life. My sense of meaning in my life is dependent upon whether I am able to enter a more macro state of flow. Do I have clear goals that are in some way tied to a broader narrative I tell about life and the world? Can I immerse myself in my life, or do I feel as if I am never really making contact with the substance of my existence? Am I fit to meet the challenges that life throws my way?

And not only does flow matter at the levels of enjoyment and performance in a moment and of one's sense of meaning in life, but I think that flow also connects us with the most fundamental essence of our existence. As in the state of flow one becomes immersed in a task or experience and loses the sense of self, these flow moments are those in which we most directly participate in the flow of existence itself. We have, even for a moment, released our self-contraction and taken joy in this convergence of a creative process and our own satisfaction.

It is no surprise then, that in these deepest moments of flow a fortunate few members of humanity experience that falling away of self that characterises the mystical revelation. For what is the state of samadhi if not a much deeper form of flow? It is an absorption in the object of concentration such that there is oneness with that object, and, in Buddhism and Hinduism, it is often seen as the staging ground of enlightenment.

And so flow is not only what we enjoy most, when we perform best, and (in extended form), how we derive meaning from life, but it is also a first step on a much more profound journey.

Probably worth turning off the crackberry for ;-)

Great speeches from people who have a lot to say

On this first video, Al Gore, ex vice president of the US, says:
"We are borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Golf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that needs to change!"
Really worth it!




On the second, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, who never graduated from college himself, tells 3 interesting stories on the graduation ceremony of Stanford University students. Good stuff!

A teenager's journey to end child slavery

My action plan to end child slavery was both rewarding and challenging. There were many pros and cons and many forks in the road and dead ends.

Photographer : henri ismail at flickr


My vision: To end child slavery so every child has access to education. Child slavery and poverty form a classic ‘egg chicken’ relationship; what came first the poverty or the slavery? Ending child slavery will help eradicate poverty; closing the gap between rich and poor nations.

The plan: Through a social awareness campaign and government lobbying I planned to get people excited about ending child slavery and creating change. I wrote letters to MPs and local councils and to the Victorian Governor Mr David de Kretser.

What I realised: Governments will not change their policies unless the public demands it. The government is the economic guarantor of a nation and will not implement policies that will be against the national interest of economic growth. A policy to end trade with a nation who uses child slavery would weaken Australia’s economy. The strongest action a nation’s government would be willing to take is to apply diplomatic pressure to a country that uses slavery.

My solution: In the globalised world that we live in, nations don’t have absolute power. The key to ending child slavery is through consumer awareness and action. Companies will produce what people want. If people don’t want goods made by a child’s hand they won’t buy it. The obvious answer is to name and shame the companies who use child slavery (there are clear examples on the net; search for child labour under images).

The problem: defamation and corporate confidentiality. Corporations can sue you for defamation. This is happening in Tasmania at the moment with the Gunns logging company suing 20 environmentalists for defamation. The act for Breach of Confidence protects commercial and private communication above freedom of expression.

The solution: promote products and services who don’t use child slavery. Although this is not as effective and emotionally appealing; by supporting services and products who don’t use child slavery you can start a trend which, other consumers may follow forcing companies to change their ways. However this also brings problems of innuendos; if a company releases a line of clothing that is ‘child free’ does that imply all other clothes are made by child slaves?

The pros of my action plan: developing a deep understanding of the complexities of child slavery and the mechanics behind it was rewarding and forced me to think outside the square. I became very passionate about the issue and determined that I could contribute to the movement to help end child slavery.

The cons of the action plan: the complexities involved in child slavery and the greed attached to the continuation of slavery was at times daunting and unnerving. Sometimes I felt that it was too much of a challenge and I wouldn’t make a difference. The project was time consuming but at the same time I was being rewarded for my hard work.

My advice: Take on the big challenges in life; someone has to do it why can’t it be you!
This work is licenced under a Attribution licence.

© Jenelle 2006. First published on actnow.com.au. See original post here.