A central concept in the new positive psychology is "floating". Flow is a very special sinnstiltand that occur when we are sufficiently immersed in an activity. It has been shown that the flow is a strong source of happiness, and the best thing must be to get the flow of life in general. It may be the way to a persistent state of satisfaction, a better life with less worries and more fun.

This is the second part of a series on the importance of positivity and the right focus, and what follows it will.

Positive psychology is trying to find out how the individual gets a happy life. The Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi, one of Martin Seligman's most important people in positive psychology, has in-depth study of happiness and creativity. The procedure was to interview and observe people when they were in their most happy situations, when they had a high degree of satisfaction, not to mention creativity.

He decided that the happy moments included a very special state of mind as he gave the term "flow", or "float." Flow occurs when we are completely immersed in an activity, just for activity's sake, and found across racial, age , gender, economic background, etc. The flow is, in other words, something most people experience.

What characterizes the flow?

I remember well I was playing with lego bricks when I was little. I could sit for hours and build without getting tired or bored. The only thing that existed for me there and then, was the pile of lego and my creative mind. It was very satisfactory, and I could maintain concentration and focus over a long time. I was in a state of flow.

Flow is the result Csíkszentmihályi, a mental condition where a person is completely involved in an activity, and that includes a high degree of focus and sense of mastery.

This means:

• Having a clear goal. You know what you want or like to do.

• Full concentration and focus. Interfering elements "ceased to exist".

• A change in the conscious experience of life. The sense of time and place of termination, you live in the moment and feel a connection with something "bigger". The ego disappears in the background.

• A direct and immediate feedback on what you do. Means clarity of what you must do to achieve the goal, and how well you actually do it.

• The matching of abilities and challenges. The goal should not be too difficult, but not too easy. An understanding that you can actually do it, if not uteblir flow.

• A sense of control.

• The activity is reinforcing itself. It gives you a high degree of satisfaction only to do what you do.

• Actions are merged together. All actions have a connection with each other. You experience a sense of what you do, there is an intention in any given action. Any new action builds on recent actions.

• A sense of inner balance. No stress, no worries and self-confidence is on top.

The term "flow" has several variations. Toppdrettsutøvere often talk about being "In The Zone", when the musicians are at their most creative, they are often "in the Groove", loving couple who are completely engrossed in each other may be located "In The Mood", and check the artists want to come in the appropriate "State" before they go out and play the game. Otherwise, the talk is about "Peak Performance" and "Altered State". Common to all is that they refer to a state where the commitment and competence is very present.

Csíkszentmihály set exists in the context of various specific activities, and he mentions like sports, artistic expression, business, religious display and play as arenas for the flow. Top athletes, musicians and artists can all report on the experience of flow, where they are performing at their best.

A central part of the experience flow, is that feeling of "being" merged with what we do. The border between the ego (the self) and environment erased. One becomes a part of something "bigger". Csíkszentmihály argues that we go over to a different level of consciousness when we are in flow, and our perception of life changed. The condition of the flow implies also a high degree of creativity.

The flow of life is the optimal

So far, so good with Csíkszentmihály and theories of the flow.

It is not only the great achievements that give flow. Our life can be divided into several simple activities. Washing up, jog for a walk, jog, read, or drive a car are everyday activities that actually involve a state of flow and thus a (temporary) state of happiness. But the most important and greatest task I will say is life itself. And if we get the flow of life in general it may mean that we achieve a continuous state of happiness, we have less worries and more fun. Therefore, it is important that we are 100 percent involved in the activity called "living".

If we manage to achieve the flow of life, we will eventually achieve an altered perception of the world. We want to live more in the present, and the boundary between ourselves and the environment will be erased. We will have a greater feeling that we are one with the universe, and the law of attraction is an even greater meaning. We will be short and well-being in a better position to attract what we want. (Measurements have shown that creative people's brains vibrate at a different frequency. Read about quantum mechanics to understand what happens when we change the frequency.)

Flow leads to a changed outlook on life

The changing level of consciousness as a result of the flow means that we look at life in a completely different way than the "normal". If you've seen a stereogram, so is the immediate perception a chaotic picture. But there is a meaning behind the chaos. (Feel free to read about chaos theory on Glabladet.no). If you're able to focus on the correct way, it will form a completely new image. The same will happen when we have the flow of life. The world will appear quite different.

Click on the picture. Do you see the shark?

Look at this stereo program, and note what happens in your brain when you're able to see what is hidden. It is a very pleasant feeling, and it is in a way that if you consider "reality" in a different way. You get an unprecedented clarity in your head. The same will happen if you have the flow of life. The world will appear to be different and much clearer.

The changing view of life has a direct connection with perception and how we perceive the world. The brain is constantly working to find a pattern in all the information it gets in, and when it finds a pattern becomes a part of our world view. It is our reality. And you remember the snowball effect? Snowball started to roll!

When one is in the flow experiences a frequently that "things fall into place". Suppose you are running with a task you are deeply concentrate on. You have encountered a problem you must solve, and the creative mind works in top gear. Suddenly there appears a solution to the problem, and a high degree of satisfaction and happiness is created in you.

This will also happen if you have the flow of life. What will things fall into place, but in a larger perspective. There will be a higher degree of synchronicity, that "random events" may not be so random after all. This you shall have read about in the last part.

Life is a game

I'm pretty sure everyone has experienced the flow, often as a child, but also later in life. Children have a knack for being in the flow, especially during the game they are in their own happy world. Children living in the moment and there are no worries for the future. Healthy children are positive and optimistic. Adults can actually learn a lot of children.

If we adults learn to see life as a game, we will eventually experience a flow of life in general. That means taking things less seriously, be openminded and positive. And are you in the flow, you will be able to instantly find a solution to the challenges that may arise. The flow will create joy in your life that is enhanced, and activity "to live" is an enjoyable activity in itself.

I completed the first part of this article series with the phrase: "Trust yourself, take a positive attitude and be optimistic, so you should see that snowball starts rolling!". Read this sentence until you can memorize it and let it become a rule !

Finally, you see a promotional clip with one that exists in life.

In the series:

1 Positive psychology and the way to a happy life

2. Life is a game, get the flow of life

3 Synkronisitet, random events and meaningful coincidence