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23 October 2008
Creativity, fulfillment and flow: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on TED.com
Social theorist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi asks, “What makes a life worth living?” Noting that money cannot make us happy, he looks to those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of “flow.” (Recorded February 2004 in Monterey, California. Duration: 18:55.)
Watch Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s 2004 talk on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 300+ TEDTalks — including more talks on happiness.
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Mark Effinger
Sleepwalking.
It’s amazing how much of our lives is striving to achieve flow.
Then, when we find it, it’s not something we’re wholly aware of, so… it flows away as easily as it came.
Marcus Buckingham and Danny McCall have both done incredible work in studying people who are ultra-performers in their craft. From bartenders to CEO’s. If we are to spend most of our lives looking for joy and “the longing for love, and the struggle for the legal tender”, it is paramount we learn to embrace those moments of flow, and extend them within our lives.
Mark Alan Effinger
Creativity For Achieving Flow