Flow Summary

Flow is a place where you feel comfortable working on your dreams, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi author of the Flow book has shared some of the practical ways to find Flow and how one can archive goals in less time. It’s a Psychology book that will blow your mind, literally.

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Contents

This is by far the best book I have ever read about human behaviors;

The book will teach you everything from, how to find the right flow to how we find flow in the wrong places. For those who don’t know, the book was originally written in 1990 and it has been updated a few times.

Let me give you an example,

I love to write whether it’s about books or tech or anything else. So technically, you can call writing my skill, but now the question is how I can monetize it.

The simple answer would be to start a website about the things I love, in that case, I started BookiesTalk Website because I love to read books.

Now, hear me out, I have the skill, which is writing, and I have also monetized my skill, so now, you tell me what my flow is, (spoiler alert, the answer is writing).

In the same way, if you love something then find a way to monetize it and find the right flow where you can work on it.

Pleasure and Enjoyment

Pleasure and enjoyment may sound the same and we may feel the same but they are not the same.

Let’s say, you’re drinking alcohol or coffee, so here your mind will release dopamine and you will definitely feel good.

When we get instant happiness, it won’t last for a long time. That would be s*x, watching movies, drinking alcohol, even coffee, or buying a new smartphone.

This is called pleasure.

In long run, the materialistic things won’t last long, they will fade away and when that happens, you will feel sad.

Here what you have to do is,

Add some skills to your life or add good habits. It could be reading books, exercising, learning a new coding language, or starting a new business.

I know, by doing all these, you won’t get instant happiness but when you finish a book or get six-pack abs then you will feel much better compared to drinking coffee or using a smartphone.

In short, you have to understand, Pleasure and enjoyment. It could be a bit hard but when you make some changes, it will make your life better than before.

Find Flow

Flow is where your life feels perfect. When you feel, this is what I wanted, that could be your flow.

My flow is writing,

When I start writing, I don’t think about anything else, I just enjoy writing.

Keep in mind, don’t start something that is beyond your capabilities.

Find something that makes you happy and adds value to your life.
Choose an activity that matches your skills.
Don’t focus on money, focus on your work.

For example, you know how to play Chess, so you can’t just ask the best player in the world to play with you. First, you have to play with the same player as you are otherwise, you will lose.

In short, do something where you find your flow, things that are not too hard or not too easy, it sits between.

Set the goal according to your skills and gradually get better at your skills.

Life Goals

When you set goals, first don’t think about money… kind of hard right…

If you do something because of money and after something, if you don’t earn enough money then you will feel disappointed.

So when you set a goal, don’t expect anything, just keep working and in the end, you will get everything you ever wanted.

You can take my example, I love to read books and when I read books, I always take notes and that’s what I’m sharing on BookiesTalk.

I’m not expecting to make money from Bookies Talk, the thing is, I love to write, so whenever I have time, I share something on this website.

Now, if I earn money from BookiesTalk then it’s great but my goal is not to make money, my goal is to share whatever I have learned.

So find something that makes you happy and work on it, in the end, you will get results.

Flow book Review

Flow is one of those books that will teach the true meaning of life, it tells you, that money can’t be your end goal. Focus on yourself and you will get everything that you ever wanted including money or that new house you wanted to buy.

Quotes

“A person can make himself happy or miserable, regardless of what is actually happening outside by just changing the mindset.”

“A joyful life is an individual creation that cannot be copied from a recipe.”

“It is not the skills we actually have that determine how we feel but the ones we think we have.”

“Few things are sadder than encountering a person who knows exactly what he should do, yet cannot muster enough energy to do it.”

“Pain and pleasure occur in consciousness and exist only there”

In the end, I would say, if you want to archive a goal then focus on your goals and forget about people or rewards or anything that can slow down your process.

Paperback

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