Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Creating Flow and Harmony

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Creating Flow and Harmony: For 20 years, University of Chicago author and researcher, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, studied the psychology of optimal life experience. ...

Creating Flow and Harmony

For 20 years, University of Chicago author and researcher, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, studied the psychology of optimal life experience. He wanted to know what contributes to people feeling deep enjoyment for extended periods of time. His investigations revealed that what makes life genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow.

We have the opportunity to experience this altered state of consciousness called flow just by altering our thinking, adjusting our perception, and being absorbed in whatever enjoyable activity we are participating in. But, we also have the unfortunate ability to analyze things and worry about matters far beyond what is healthy or necessary.

Life is complex and most of us have lots of things to do. To experience flow we must fully enter into and engage the things we are doing in the moment: reading, walking, talking, playing, hiking, cooking, eating, working, listening to music….these simple things that we participate in everyday can lead us to deeply satisfying levels of pleasure and harmony.

Csikszentmihalyi writes, “A person can make himself or herself happy, or miserable, regardless of what is actually happening outside just by changing the contents of consciousness. We all know individuals who can transform hopeless situations into challenges to be overcome, just through the force of their personalities. This ability to persevere despite obstacles and setbacks is the quality people most admire in others, and justly so; it is creating meaning by bringing order to the contents of the mind by integrating one's actions into a unified flow experience which leads to harmony.”

If you look up the meaning of harmony in the dictionary or thesaurus.com, you will find it described as consistency, cooperation, good will, peace, rapport, understanding, accord, congruence, and balance.  If there is any time in history that requires more cooperation, more good will, greater understanding, and more tenacity in working towards making peace of mind our single goal it is now!

Author Gary Zukav writes, “Survival is no longer sufficient. Our evolution now requires us to develop spiritually - to become emotionally aware and make responsible choices. It requires us to align ourselves with the values of the soul - harmony, cooperation, sharing, and reverence for life.”

When we experience personal challenges, difficulties, and frustrations with life, we can more easily transcend these feelings by quieting the mind by meditating, walking, hiking, writing or reading. The key thing is that we fully engage what we are doing, to make it a part of us, to give our full attention to it and feelings of flow and harmony will naturally and be ours again.

Not only do we create harmony and flow by being fully absorbed in whatever we are doing, but we also create these wondrous states of consciousness by stepping out of ourselves and moving beyond the ‘I’ consciousness.  What I need, what I want, and what I desire can be brought into an essential balance by also having a ‘we,’ ‘he,’ she,’ and ‘they’ awareness.  In other words, paying attention to the needs of others and helping humanity in some important way are paramount to creating harmony, purpose, and optimal experience.

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Finding and Expressing Your Passion

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Finding and Expressing Your Passion: Psychology is a very fascinating field of study, but has only been part of our culture for just over 100 years. Psychology traces its b...

Finding and Expressing Your Passion

Psychology is a very fascinating field of study, but has only been part of our culture for just over 100 years. Psychology traces its beginnings to the pioneering work of Sigmund Freud who was born in Vienna in 1856. Freud was trained as a physician and surgeon, but quickly discovered his passion for working with people’s mental illnesses. The Viennese Medical Society was very critical of his work and did not support his theories of the relationship between early childhood turmoil, trauma and physical symptoms. As a result, he broke away from that organization and began work with three physicians who had a profound impact upon the burgeoning fields of hypnosis and psychology: Jean Charcot, Bernheim, and Joseph Breuer.

In the 1890’s, Freud read a book that absolutely changed his life. It was titled: The Art of Becoming a Successful Writer. The author suggested that if a person really was serious about becoming a successful writer he/she needed to freely let their imagination run wild. Freud creatively found a way to apply her ideas to his work with his patients and he called it free association. Freud’s seminal book, The Interpretation of Dreams, was published in 1900. L. Frank Baum’s Wonderful Wizard of Oz was also published in 1900. Sigmund Freud, L. Frank Baum, and W.W. Denslow, the illustrator of the Wizard of Oz, were all born in May of 1856; Denslow on May 1^st,  Freud on May 6^th, and Baum on May 15^th.  

I mention these three men because they were creative geniuses who were born within a 15 day span of time. Just as Freud is synonymous with the field of psychology, L. Frank Baum is synonymous as the writer of the great American fairytale. W.W. Denslow is remembered as the illustrator of Dorothy, Tin Woodman, Scarecrow and Lion. His enchanting drawings and Baum’s magical writing created books that were regarded and are still regarded as family favorites.  No matter what we think about Freud’s theories or Baum’s fantasy tale, their legacy lives on because of the passion and magic they put into their work and their accomplishments.

Passion is an amazing force. Look at the passion of Mother Teresa who once said that she would continue to do her work with the poorest of the poor until her last breath. We look at the lives of passionate people, not to be humbled by what they did, but to be inspired and encouraged to arouse our own enthusiasm, magic and passion.

Never lose sight of what arouses your excitement and zeal. You might discover your passion for writing, art, or playing in nature. Perhaps your chosen career continues to ignite your passion. Maybe music, dancing, cooking, exercise, or volunteering for an important cause you deeply believe in continues to challenge and thrill you. No matter what it is, find your passion in life and life will continue to reward you with amazing surprises.