Author: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

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Notes on the Book

To discover meaning in your life, go with the flow.

Focus on intrinsic rewards.

We seek external rewards to hide the fact we’re unhappy and unfulfilled.

There’s not a strong correlation between life satisfaction and wealth.

Enjoyment > pleasure but pleasure is quicker and easier to get. Pleasure doesn’t lead to growth.

Enjoyment happens when you do an activity that balances skills and challenges, has a clear end goal, and feedback.

Being in a state of flow is the combination of action and awareness in an activity that you’re fully immersed in.

Personal limits are expanded when we engage in activities that are neither too easy nor too difficult. These activities should align with our personal goals.

Mindfulness requires self control.

You can use work to get into a flow state, even if you think your job is dull. Turn work tasks into a game with intrinsic rewards.

Children will emulate their parents. It’s better they emulate their parents doing challenging and mindful tasks like cooking or writing.

Ego will get in the way of flow.

Practising mindfulness of your environment frees you from a lot of anxiety.

Use difficult situations to find novel solutions.

It’s up to us to create meaning and beauty in our own lives.

Find meaning by focusing on an ultimate goal. The goal is irrelevant as long as you immerse yourself in the journey of achieving it. Like Garyvee trying to buy the Jets.