It is by being fully involved with every detail of our lives, whether good or bad, that we find happiness, not by trying to look for it directly. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi More Quotes by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi More Quotes From Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi But it is impossible to enjoy a tennis game, a book, or a conversation unless attention is fully concentrated on the activity. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi tennis games book Knowing oneself is not so much a question of discovering what is present in one's self, but rather the creation of who one wants to be. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi knowing business self But to change all existence into a flow experience, it is not sufficient to learn merely how to control moment-by-moment states of consciousness. It is also necessary to have an overall context of goals for the events of everyday life to make senseTo create harmony in whatever one does is the last task that the flow theory presents to whose who wish to attain optimal experience; it is a task that involves transforming the entirety of life into a single flow activity, with unified goals that provide constant purpose. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi everyday goal wish An ideal organization is one in which each worker's potentialities find room for expression. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi organization expression work Wake up in the morning with a specific goal to look forward to. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi goal morning looks ...in the words of Max DePree: "Management has a lot to do with answers. But leadership is a function of questions. And the first question for a leader always is: 'Who do we intend to be?' Not 'What are we going to do?' but 'Who do we intend to be?'" Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi max business leadership A typical day is full of anxiety and boredom. Flow experiences provide the flashes of intense living against this dull background. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi typical boredom anxiety Pain and pleasure occur in consciousness and exist only there Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi pleasure consciousness pain Take charge of your schedule. Make time for reflection and relaxation. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi schedules reflection relaxation Creative individuals tend to be smart, yet also naive at the same time... Creative individuals have a combination of playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi smart creativity responsibility Look at problems from as many viewpoints as possible. Figure out the implications of the problem. Implement the solution. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi viewpoints problem looks It is how we choose what we do, and how we approach it, that will determine whether the sum of our days adds up to a formless blur, or to something resembling a work of art. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi blur add art Some individuals have developed such strong internal standards that they no longer need the opinion of others to judge whether they have performed a task well or not. The ability to give objective feedback to oneself is in fact the mark of the expert. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi strong business giving Our jobs determine to a large extent what our lives are like. Is what you do for a living making you ill? Does it keep you from becoming a more fully realized person? Do you feel ashamed of what you have to do at work? All too often, the answer to such questions is yes. Yet it does not have to be like that. Work can be one of the most joyful, most fulfilling aspects of life. Whether it will be or not depends on the actions we collectively take. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi business work jobs If a leader demonstrates that his purpose is noble, that the work will enable people to connect with something large - more permanent than their material existence - people will give the best of themselves to the enterprise Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi leader giving people Those periods of struggling to overcome challenges are what people find to be the most enjoyable times. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi learning teaching struggle To live means to experience-through doing, feeling, thinking. Experience takes place in time, so time is the ultimate scarce resource we have. Over the years, the content of experience will determine the quality of life. Therefore one of the most essential decisions any of us can make is about how one's time is allocated or invested. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi life mean thinking Attention is like energy in that without it no work can be done, and in doing work is dissipated. We create ourselves by how we use this energy. Memories, thoughts and feelings are all shaped by how use it. And it is an energy under control, to do with as we please; hence attention is our most important tool in the task of improving the quality of experience. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi important feelings memories It is how people respond to stress that determines whether they will profit from misfortune or be miserable. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi miserable stress people Act as if the future of the universe depends on what you do, while laughing at yourself for thinking that your actions make any difference. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi differences laughing thinking
