The field of positive psychology has found empirically that there are five components to a flourishing life.
There is positive emotion,
Consider happiness,
Which is only one of five.
The second is engagement or flow,
Being able to situate ourselves in states of flow.
And we have relationships,
Being in rich,
Meaningful,
Deep relationships.
And there's meaning.
Having meaning and purpose in our lives is vital.
Finally,
They found achievement.
When we're able to achieve things in life,
It doesn't really matter,
According to the research,
What those achievements are or in what realm we find them.
But as long as we have a sense of having achieved something,
Maybe set a goal and met that goal,
Those are the five components of a flourishing life.
And I find the hardest one is the state of flow.
It's very difficult to create the circumstances to be in a state of flow,
Especially if you're like me and you kind of play it safe in most realms of life,
Actually.
It's hard to be in flow when we always play it safe,
So to speak.
So I'm going to go for a walk and I invite you to come with me.
You might just stay right where you are if you want to.
But on this walk,
I'll consider the conditions that allowed for that state of flow.
Because if we can recreate those conditions,
It's entirely possible that we might find ourselves again in a state of flow,
Which is so important for the flourishing life.
So maybe you'll get ready and come with me or maybe you'll just stay put.
Let's take this journey together.
The researchers Mihai Csikszentmihalyi and Jean Nakamura are the ones who uncovered some of the secret,
If you will,
Of the state of flow or engagement.
Their work was popularized in Csikszentmihalyi's 2004 TED Talk on the topic of flow.
And none of the concepts are really that surprising.
It's more that few people had really paid attention to it,
It seems.
Their observation is that each of us has the ability to enter a state of flow,
Which involves an intense time of engagement,
Of being so united with the task at hand that time seems to stand still.
There's often a sense of ecstasy or elation.
Sometimes it brings happiness and sometimes it doesn't.
But regardless,
It requires full engagement.
In Christian terms,
This is part of what we would call the abundant life.
Flow is necessary for flourishing,
For abundant living.
But it's not easy to create the circumstances to have full engagement with life,
To enter a period of flow.
So let's take some time to explore a recent experience with flow.
Let's relive it,
In a sense,
To the degree possible anyway.
So to start,
We'll need to bring to mind a recent experience of flow.
Again,
This is an undertaking where time seemed to stand still.
It's characterized by a lack of distraction,
Like nothing can pull us out of this state.
We're kind of transfixed on what's going on.
It's a common reporting from rock climbers,
Dancers,
Performers.
But it also happens in the workplace.
It can happen in a mindfulness practice with a loved one on a date getting to know somebody.
Playing sports just recreationally.
Suddenly it's like,
Where did that hour go?
So take a few moments to bring to mind a recent experience of flow.
With your mind's attention locked on that experience of flow,
Consider where it was,
Physically or geographically.
What was it like in terms of brightness?
Was it bright or dark?
What time of day was it?
What time of the year was it?
Holding on with our mind to that same state of flow,
Consider the people who were involved.
Who was there with you?
What was their involvement?
What was their contribution?
As best you can recall the sensations you experienced while in that state.
Where did you feel it in your body?
What were the smells associated with that?
What could you see,
Detect visually?
What about the sounds?
What sounds were present during that time of flow?
And if indeed you tasted anything aside from what you've smelled,
What did you taste?
And now consider what gifts you brought to the situation.
Often a state of flow requires employing what are called our signature strengths.
Strengths that are key to who we are.
Strengths that make up the essence of who we are.
Which of your strengths did you use during this time of flow?
And what about the challenge involved?
Flow almost always requires some kind of challenge to overcome.
What was the challenge?
And considering some of the circumstances leading up to that state of flow,
What did you have to do beforehand such that that opportunity could arise?
What about just logistics in your own life?
Was there childcare involved or travel or organizing?
But also think about the longer journey to get there.
If you had to employ a signature strength,
You must have had to develop that strength in some way.
And now consider this.
What could you do to create an opportunity for an experience of flow?
For some of us it just happens to us,
But for many of us,
We have to intentionally create the opportunity.
The irony is that we can't force a state of flow,
But we can create the conditions under which we might be able to engage a state of flow.
Consider what you could do to create the conditions wherein you might enter a state of flow.
Let that moment of flow be like an anchor.
Allow that moment to dwell with you,
With your body.
And consider creating the conditions under which another state of flow might be possible.
Each of us needs to flourish.
Each of us deserves to flourish.
This is the gift of life.
This is the invitation of the abundant life.
So I invite you to go and seek it.
Until next time,
May you know peace.
