Being IN The Flow: the secret key to happiness

How being in 'the flow' of creativity is the secret key to happiness

Tell me ... have you ever been so engrossed in something that you've lost all track of time? Maybe you have forgotten to eat, or even forgotten to sleep!

(Yes, all of these happen to me, too ... quite often!)

Can you remember precisely what you were doing when these experiences happened?

If you CAN remember, then that's fabulous ... because at that point in time you, were truly in the creative 'flow'. Congratulations!

Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi, psychologist and author of 'Flow', believes that true happiness comes from learning new skills and developing ourselves in order to facilitate meaningful change - and to meet challenges in a meaningful way to us, the individual.

This lovely TEDTalk by Czikszentmihalyi shares his thoughts on the Secret to Happiness:

"However, being in the 'flow' may often feel like an extraordinarily-elusive way of Being, especially if you are not engaged in something which has real meaning to you.

Only when we slip in that fully-absorbed state, can we fully express our individuality - in whatever way matters most to us - and feel a sense of true belonging. A feeling of peace. A feeling of deep, embracing happiness.

There's this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback. You know that what you need to do is possible to do, even though difficult, and sense of time disappears, you forget yourself, you feel part of something larger. And once the conditions are present, what you are doing becomes worth doing for its own sake." - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

You can watch Czikszentmihalyi's TEDTalk here: Flow, the secret to happiness (2004)

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Here in our CreaTEAvity Studio, helping people learn how to recognise - and get into - their 'flow' is one of the key things we do ... so if you're feeling stuck, or need a little bit of support to help get your life flowing with ease, do get in touch. I'd love to help you reconnect to your Flow!

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gift yourself permission to play, heal & show your true colours in the CreaTEAvity Studio: a space to nurture, reconnect to, and rejuvenate your creative spirit - wherever you are in the world.