Comments for Community to Enter a State of "Flow" #C4C15

According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, happiness and genuine satisfaction comes from a state of consciousness called flow. To achieve flow, one must be completely absorbed in an activity, a mindful challenge, involving creativity. Those mindful challenges can not be too demanding, nor too easy.

This "mindful challenge" reminds me of a volleyball net. If it is set too high, it is too difficult to hit the ball over the net, resulting in giving up the game out. Likewise, if the net is too low, there's not enough challenge to keep my attention, leading to the same outcome of giving up the game. Thus, we need to set the net at the appropriate height, and then we'll start learning how to make changes to improve, which is when we'll become intrinsically motivated by the act.

“Most enjoyable activities are not natural; they demand an effort that initially one is reluctant to make. But once the interaction starts to provide feedback to the person's skills, it usually begins to be intrinsically rewarding.” ― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

#C4C15 Project

A few weeks ago, I received a quality comment on my blog post from Ben Wilkoff. At the end of the comment, he shared his #C4C15 Project: Comments for Community, which is his call to create a community of writers by leaving comments for others to build connections and a culture of learning.

Ben Wilkoff's Launching #C4C15: Comments for Community in 2015

I'm inspired by Ben's #C4C15 Project, and fearful at the same time. I fear the time commitment. I fear being completely open and vulnerable.

If I really want to grow, I need to allow for that vulnerability and trust that I'll gain critical friends rather than criticism.

Slide_CriticalFriends by Bill Ferriter, CC: BY, NC

Count me in

Despite my apprehension, I am making the goal to connect and learn with others online, and leave quality comments.

“It is when we act freely, for the sake of the action itself rather than for ulterior motives, that we learn to become more than what we were. When we choose a goal and invest ourselves in it to the limits of concentration, whatever we do will be enjoyable. And once we have tasted this joy, we will redouble our efforts to taste it again. This is the way the self grows.” ― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

•  How do you connect and learn with others?
• What risks are you taking to grow?