Don’t you hate it when the title of an article makes it sound like it’s going to answer a question that you care about so succinctly and so absolutely, but then delays the answer for as long as possible and sometimes never even answers it?

Well, I do! Also, I have a good feeling about you, “Reader One”. I think we will get along fabulously—famously even!—, so I won’t do that to you. You might completely disagree with me at times, and that’s fine, but I will always respect you enough to cut to the chase on what I really believe.

The secret to happiness is Flow.

“Flow” is a psychological concept introduced by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. It describes a state of complete immersion and engagement in an activity, where one loses the sense of time and is fully focused on the task at hand. Your ego dissolves, and you become part of what you are doing.

I have entered this state before when I play volleyball, video games, and music, or even when I cook. My hands start to fly, my senses are hyper-tuned, and everything I need to do at any given moment somehow instantly come to me. Time literally feels slow. It is one of the most thrilling feelings in the universe!

Until recently, I couldn’t put a concrete name on this feeling, but now I realize this feeling is “happiness” for me. It isn’t the “idea” of happiness. It is actual, present-time, right now happiness. It is a time where I am being challenged, I am rising above to meet the challenge, I am fully enjoying the moment, and everything else just fades away.

Part of the experiment I am running with this Gamifying Life website I created is to see if I can live every day moving from one Flow-inducing activity to another Flow-inducing activity and be in a perpetual state of happiness.

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Critical Thinking Time:
What puts you in the state of Flow? Are you getting enough of it in your day-to-day life? Do me a big favor, Reader One: come up with at least 3 activities that put you in a Flow state, and stop multitasking and add more Flow to your life!

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And now, because you have been my favorite reader (so far), I will give you what I believe to be the second secret to happiness (the Bonus level if you will).

The second secret to happiness is Savoring.

Savoring is the practice of mindfully engaging in thoughts or behaviors that heighten the effect of positive experiences.

When you savor food, you let it linger in your mouth a little longer rather than just scoffing it down. When you savor activities, you spend a little more time documenting and celebrating your achievements rather than immediately jumping to your next big challenge. When you savor entertainment, you re-experience them and share them with people you care about. When you savor people, you enhance memories and spend more quality time with them.

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So maybe it really is that simple and succinct:
The Secret to Happiness is Flow and Savoring!

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And now that we are on the same page and you understand me better, I hope it is of no surprise to you that I love to rewatch movies I’ve seen, replay games I’ve beaten, and reread books I’ve read. I am not weird. You are weird. (Ok, that was uncalled for. I’m sorry.) Each time I re-experience something it’s different, and this time it’s different because YOU are here to re-experience and savor it with me! <awkward sleezy wink>

– CrouchingL

My next blog post is already live! Click here to read The Future of “Work”.