Leo Tolstoy said in his novel, "Happy people are all alike, but unfortunate people are each unhappy in their own way." I believe many people have heard this famous saying. But have you ever experienced happiness? Have you considered the origin of a happy life? Happiness is indeed similar, that is, you have to enter a "flow" state.
There is an issue of TED Talks dedicated to the source of happiness. The title is "What is a valuable life". If you are interested, you can take a look. The speaker interviewed many people, both celebrities and ordinary people, and ultimately found that they all feel happiest when they enter a state of selflessness. The results are not so important, but the process is important. And what they call the state of selflessness is "flow". Have you ever immersed yourself in a problem and ignored the passage of time? Have you ever been so immersed in something that you forgot about yourself? Have you ever completed a difficult job effortlessly or even freely with the skills you acquired through hard work? These are all manifestations of entering a "flow" state.
Wanwei Steel introduced a book "Flow" in the "Elite Daily Course" column of "Get", the author is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The book defines flow: The so-called "flow" is when you are particularly focused on doing something with a clear goal and a challenge, and your ability is just right to take on this challenge, you may enter. a state. True happiness is the by-product you get when you devote yourself wholeheartedly to something and put yourself out of control. Want a happy life? Then get into the “flow” state.
How to enter the "flow" state?
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi introduced a method called "skill-challenge ratio" in the book "Flow". The skill-to-challenge ratio refers to the ratio between the "challenge difficulty of a task" and the "ability required to complete the task." Generally speaking, if the task given to you is too difficult and exceeds your ability, you may feel it is too difficult and will not dare to do it; if the difficulty is too low, you will feel bored and unwilling to do it. But when the difficulty of the challenge matches your ability, it will be easier for you to do it and you will not be able to achieve your best state. Only when the difficulty is slightly higher than your ability, but not beyond your ability to accept, will you enter the best state, that is, "flow".
Jamie Weir's book "Stealing Fire" introduces three more detailed methods of entering a "flow" state.
The first way is to enter through meditation. Today, meditation is used as a form of attention training and has become a daily habit for 18 million Americans. In addition, yoga and Tai Chi are also very popular. These exercises can help us get into a flow state faster.
Second, adjust body posture to change brain cognition. "Li Xiang Knowledge Internal Reference" once mentioned that changes in body language can affect people's attitudes. In other words, the body has a certain shaping effect on the mind. Once we have this understanding, we can reconstruct the relationship between the body and the brain. connect. For example, we can change our state of consciousness by changing postures, regulating breathing, changing facial expressions, increasing flexibility and balance, etc.
Third, be the master of your emotions and take the initiative to lead yourself into a better state. Many people will not take the initiative to change their psychological condition and allow it to develop naturally. For example, when they are stressed, they will stay immersed in it until they feel better, then stand up and go to work. When inspiration is exhausted, people wait for inspiration to come instead of actively activating their minds. In fact, we can take the initiative to make changes. For example, when you are in a bad state, you might as well use exercise to improve your mood, or meditate for 15 minutes to get into the state faster. Becoming the master of our own emotions allows us to better use self-awareness, train the brain to discover our own thoughts, and enter a state of flow.
After reading so many studies on "flow", I have a deeper understanding of finding the source of a happy life. I personally think that flow can be divided into two levels. The first level is to achieve a state of "flow" in any position and job through "deliberate practice"; the second level is to find a job you like without "deliberate practice". Practice" and you can enter the "flow" state at any time. The first level is the state of most ordinary people. It would be great if we could enter "flow" from time to time.
The most important thing is to always pay attention to what you are doing. It is easier to enter this state, and slowly find a job that you like. Only in this way can you live a truly and lasting happy life.