“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. To avoid this condition, people are naturally eager… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
But to change all existence into a flow experience, it is not sufficient to learn merely how to control moment-by-moment states of… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
A person can make himself happy, or miserable, regardless of what is actually happening 'outside,' just by changing the contents of consciousness. — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
Unless a person knows how to give order to her thoughts, attention will be attracted to whatever is most problematic at the… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
“The mark of a person who is in control of consciousness is the ability to focus attention at will, to be oblivious… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
Attention is like energy in that without it no work can be done, and in doing work is dissipated. We create ourselves… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
“In the past few thousand years—a mere split second in evolutionary time—humanity has achieved incredible advances in the differentiation of consciousness. We… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
Flow is the process of achieving happiness through control over one's inner life. The optimal state of inner experience is order in… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
To know oneself is the first step toward making flow a part of one's entire life. But just as there is no… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
For original ideas to come about, you have to let them percolate under the level of consciousness in a place where we… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
Whatever the dictates of fashion, it seems that those who take the trouble to gain mastery over what happens in consciousness do… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
“The optimal state of inner experience is one in which there is order in consciousness. This happens when psychic energy—or attention—is invested… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
“Flow” is the way people describe their state of mind when consciousness is harmoniously ordered, and they want to pursue whatever they… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
Entropy is the normal state of consciousness - a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
Control over consciousness cannot be institutionaliz ed. As soon as it becomes part of a set of social rules and norms, it… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
Flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
“At certain times in history cultures have taken it for granted that a person wasn't fully human unless he or she learned… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
We can transform reality to the extent that we influence what happens in consciousness and thus free ourselves from the threats and… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
“One of the simplest ways to decrease the frequency of negative thoughts is by selectively moderating expectations.” — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
“For Mark Strand, the poet’s responsibility to be a witness, a recorder of experience, is part of the broader responsibility we all… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. To avoid this condition, people are naturally eager to fill… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
Most enjoyable activities are not natural; they demand an effort that initially one is reluctant to make. But once the interaction starts to provide… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
People without an internalized symbolic system can all too easily become captives of the media. — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
Through learning we grow, becoming more than we were before, and in that sense learning is unselfish, because it results in the transformation of… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
“Unfortunately, many people find the only challenges they can respond to are violence, gambling, random sex, or drugs. Some of these experiences can be… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
It is essential to learn to enjoy life. It really does not make sense to go through the motions of existence if one does… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
“It is usual to explain the motivation of those who enjoy dangerous activities as some sort of pathological need: they are trying to exorcise… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
“Wisdom and integrity cannot be found in any single domain. A broader viewpoint that breaks across disciplinary boundaries is needed, a way of understanding… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
For better or worse, our future will be determined in large part by our dreams and by the struggle to make them real. — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
Many business leaders today view their jobs as entailing responsibility for the welfare of the wider community. These individuals do not define themselves as… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
The rules themselves are clear enough, and within everyone’s reach. But many forces, both within ourselves and in the environment, stand in the way.… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
When each of these three elements of vision-concern for excellence, for people and for the wider environment-are present, business is transformed from a tool… — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Copy Share Image
