Find a way to express what moves you. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi More Quotes by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi More Quotes From Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Each of us is born with two contradictory sets of instructions: a conservative tendency, made up of instincts for self-preservation, self-aggrandizement, and saving energy, and an expansive tendency made up of instincts for exploring, for enjoying novelty and risk-the curiosity that leads to creativity belongs to this set. But whereas the first tendency requires little encouragement or support from outside to motivate behaviour, the second can wilt if not cultivated. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi creativityencouragementself We can either help to make this world a more incredible place than it has ever been, or we can hasten its return to inorganic dust. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi dustbusinessworld Enjoyment appears at the boundary between boredom and anxiety, when the challenges are just balanced with the person's capacity to act. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi boredomanxietypositivity To play the trumpet well, a musician can not let more than a few days pass without practicing. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi learningteachingplay If we agree that the bottom line of life is happiness, not success, then it makes perfect sense to say that it is the journey that counts, not reaching the destination. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi businesshappinesslife The germ of an idea doesn't make the sculpture that stands up... so the next stage is hard work Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi learninghard-workteaching The mood state Americans are in, on average, when watching television is mildly depressed. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi depressionaveragetelevision Without respect, the subtle alchemy that binds an organization or that serves as the impetus for a business transaction would dissolve into mutual suspicion and hostility. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi respectorganizationbusiness The downside, of course, is that over time religions become encrusted with precepts and ideas that are the antithesis of soul, as each faith tries to protect its doctrines and institution instead of nurturing the evolution of consciousness. If one is not careful to distinguish the genuine insights of a religion from its irrelevant accretions, one can go through life following an inappropriate moral compass. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi businessfaithideas Since the purpose of business is to satisfy existing desires, or stimulate new ones, if everyone were genuinely happy, there would be no need for business any longer. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi would-bedesirehappiness You yourself are in an ecstatic state to such a point that you feel as though you almost don't exist. I've experienced this time and again. My hand seems devoid of myself, and I have nothing to do with what is happening. I just sit there watching in a state of awe and wonderment. And it just flows out by itself. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi justicetimehands It is when we act freely, for the sake of the action itself rather than for ulterior motives, that we learn to become more than what we were. When we choose a goal and invest ourselves in it to the limits of concentration, whatever we do will be enjoyable. And once we have tasted this joy, we will redouble our efforts to taste it again. This is the way the self grows. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi effortgoalself We have learned how to develop five-minute and even one-minute managers. But we would do better to ask ourselves what it takes to be an executive who helps build a better future. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi minutesimprovementhelping When people restrain themselves out of fear, their lives are by necessity diminished. They become rigid and defensive, and their self stops growing. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi growingselfpeople Good design is a visual statement that maximizes the life goals of the people in a given culture (or, more realistically, the goals of a certain subset of people in the culture) that draws on a shared symbolic expression for the ordering of such goals. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi goalexpressionpeople Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi optimalhappens Discipline is not always internalized and actually can breed resentment among children. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi resentmentdisciplinechildren The solution is to gradually become free of societal rewards and learn how to substitute for them rewards that are under one's own powers. This is not to say that we should abandon every goal endorsed by society; rather, it means that, in addition to or instead of the goals others use to bribe us with, we develop a set of our own. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi goalusemean Socializing is more positive than being alone, that's why meetings are so popular. People don't like being alone. That would be, however, an important skill to learn. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi like-being-aloneskillspeople When each of these three elements of vision-concern for excellence, for people and for the wider environment-are present, business is transformed from a tool for making profits into a creative, humane experiment for improving life. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi businessinspirationalpeople
